Category: New Testament

Heart of Worship

~ Sowmya Gali

Isaiah 29: 13 (NIV)The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men…

King David was a man after God’s heart. What is God’s heart? What delights Him? Why music and worship are somethings that God enjoys? Even the Heavens are ringing with songs of worship from eternity to eternity. Have we ever considered why music has such importance in God’s word? What makes man sing or play an instrument? Why is music considered a universal language?

Everything that God creates worships Him in its own unique way and tongue. We are creatures created to worship the Almighty, Eternal God. No wonder our hearts sing songs of worship when we are in awe of Him. God delights in music, song and worship of Him. When our inner man enters into His presence, our hearts cannot contain His glory and so we fall prostate and worship Him. Then the songs of delight and love will pour out from every cell and every part of our being. That bubbling joy when we are in His presence is what God delights and expects.

However, we fail to worship our Creator and Savior in a way we are supposed to. We are so distracted by the things of this world. Satan, the prince of this world distracts us from worshiping our King of kings. Church down through the ages had laid down rules and regulations for worship. We delight in keeping those rules rather than worship Him in spirit and truth. We are worshiping Him with empty words and sinful lips. Our hearts are far from Him. We rather follow the rules laid out by mere men rather than worship God with all our hearts the way we are supposed to.

Colossians 2: 20-23 says that we died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, which means that we are free to worship our Lord in a way that only our heart leads. Nevertheless, we assume we are walking in obedience when we subject ourselves to regulations designed by men, which only have an appearance of wisdom. We must rather set our hearts on things above (Colossians 3: 1) and truly delight ourselves in worshiping Him to our hearts’ content.

How is our heart of worship? Do we delight in worshiping our Maker? Or are we allowing ourselves to be distracted by the teachings of men or societal rules? Do we raise our hands, tap our feet or dance in front of our King? May the King of our hearts guide us to worship Him as we are supposed to.

Camel’s Knees

~ Sowmya Gali

1 Thessalonians 5: 17

Pray without ceasing.

James, brother of our Lord was one of the pillars of the early church. He was the leader of the council of Jerusalem and a wonderful friend of other disciples. Although there are no solidified facts about who wrote the book of James, scholars ascribe it to James, the half-brother of Jesus. He may have been an eyewitness to several miracles of Jesus. He must have watched his brother, Jesus, from a distance. Only after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he may have realized who Jesus really is. From then on, there was no turning back. He dedicated his life in teaching, encouraging, and above all, praying. Beyond that, James was known for his piety and also as James the Just. He was a highly esteemed leader of the early church. History records that James spent several hours each day praying, interceding, and worshiping God. On cold stone floors in the winters and hot, crusty grounds in the summers, James must have knelt and spent hours communing with His risen Savior and best friend. Because of the hours he spent on his knees, they became calloused and wrinkled. Therefore, he was given a nickname of old camel’s knees.

We read the Gospels and are amazed at the teachings of Jesus. With his call to repentance and the offer of salvation, we commit to His Lordship. Now we read about the Acts of the Apostles and the trials they go through. These Acts inspire us to stand firm in the faith despite the circumstances we face. Following the Acts, we delve into the teachings of Paul who carefully lays out the importance and need of a Savior in everyone’s life. With his logical reasoning, historical perspective and practical approach, Paul explains and persuades us to lead holy lives.

As we are contemplating on the teachings of Paul, James comes along and smacks us in the back of our head with his letter. He then comes around, grabs us by the collar, now holds us captive and gives us only two options: either live for Jesus or die in sin. He then slaps us hard with his list of ‘to dos’ to live out our lives in faith and for the Kingdom to come. We either come to our senses and live for Jesus or run for our lives away from the Gospel. There is no sailing in two boats with James’ teaching. When we read his epistle, we can conclude that he lived out what he preached. He followed closely Jesus’ teachings. The last chapter of James describes the necessity of prayer and describes about praying effectively. He further adds that prayers offered in faith will bring healing, forgiveness and prosperity.

Calloused knees or camel’s knees mean several hours spent on knees in humility before the Savior, in awe of the King of kings and in submission to His Sovereignty. Are our knees calloused? Has prayer become the dominant and essential aspect of our lives? Do our knees testify of our humility before the King? James concludes his epistle with a call to prayer. For every aspect of our lives, we must first go on our knees in prayer. Moments of joy, moments of pain, moments of tears, moments of trials and every other moment of life calls for time of prayer. More than riches and glory, camel’s knees are a better and visible testament of whose name we bear.