The stories of Abraham teach us about worship… authentic worship.   Obediently following God from his home in the south, Abraham travelled north to Canaan where he built an altar at Shechem (Genesis 12:7-8). From there he travelled to Bethel where he again built an altar and “called upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 13:1-4). At Hebron, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem, he once again constructed an altar (Genesis 13:14-18). In each case, Abraham built an altar to offer

There are two kinds of worship: “Cain Worship” and “Abel Worship”. Let’s see…   After Adam and Eve sinned, “they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:7). This wasn’t worship… it was religion; their fruitless effort to hide their shame and make themselves acceptable to God.   To atone for their sin, God sacrificed animals to make fur coats. This introduced the sacrificial system whereby blood is shed to pay the

According to Webster, worship is the act of attributing honor or showing reverence for a divine being. The Holman Bible Dictionary says: “Worship is the interrelation between divine action and human response… worship is the human response to the self-revelation of the triune God.”   Here’s my simple working definition: Worship is my response to God’s glory and grace.   When Adam and Eve lived in the pre-fall Garden, they enjoyed unlimited, unconstrained, unhindered communion

At Mount Sinai, God declared concerning Himself: “The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth!” (Exodus 34:6).   Nearing the end of the forty years or wilderness-wanderings, Moses proclaimed, “He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your ancestors that he swore to them by oath, because the Lord your God is a compassionate God” (Deuteronomy 4:31).   Before crossing into the Promised Land

The Master Story-Teller, Jesus, told the Parable of the Prodigal Son, one of the most memorable passages in the Bible. You know the story…   A man had two sons. The younger son came to his dad and demanded his share of the inheritance. Dad wasn’t dead! What was the son thinking, asking for the will to be read and the estate divided? That brand of selfishness is hard to fathom!   Nevertheless, dad wrote Junior a check … and off he went to Las Vegas! He gambled, drank, went to

Jesus was a master story-teller!   On this particular day, Jesus crafted a story to reveal the cold-hearted hypocrisy of an “expert in the law” (Luke 10:25). Testing Jesus, the pharisaical religious leader asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Jesus responded with a question. “What does the law require?”   The man knew the law’s demands. Quoting the Old Testament, he said, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, w

Elijah prayed, and God miraculously raised the son of the widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24). He was dead, but God gave him new life.   God used Elisha to raise the dead son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:18-37). The same… dead was made alive.   At the little village of Nain, Jesus resurrected the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-15).   And, while I was dead in sin, my mother wept for me, praying that God would give me new life. He did.     Clearly, God cares about broken-hearte

In the Christian Standard Version of the New Testament, the word “compassion” can be found eleven times. All eleven describe and define the heart of Jesus. Jesus was compassionate … He was “moved with compassion” (Mark 1:41).   One of my favorite passages in the New Testament is found in the nineth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. When a broken-hearted daddy brought his weak and weary son to Jesus, Jesus had compassion! He’s how the story unfolds…   While Jesus was busy on the Moun

He was infected with leprosy, a plight that had led to alienation from family and friends and would ultimately lead to a prolonged and painful death. Cast out of society, the leper was relegated to a life in isolation. He left his home and family. He lost his job. He was refused entry to the synagogue. He was kicked out of town.   The law was clear. “The person who has a case of serious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his

The blind beggar, I suspect, sat beside the road daily, rain or shine. The busy highway was bustling with travelers. Going east, the road led downhill past Jericho to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. Westward, the road led up the steep incline toward Jerusalem. Travelers were constantly coming and going. A few, walking or riding a donkey, left the beggar with a small coin or two. Others offered information. He couldn’t see, but Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, was always liste