{"id":1016,"date":"2010-01-24T07:40:05","date_gmt":"2010-01-24T07:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-80.html"},"modified":"2010-01-24T07:40:05","modified_gmt":"2010-01-24T07:40:05","slug":"sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/01\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-80.html","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Soul of Worship<\/h3>\n

READ Psalm 95:1-11<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Come, let us worship and bow down.
\nLet us kneel before the LORD our maker,
\nfor he is our God.
\nWe are the people he watches over,
\nthe flock under his care.<\/p>\n

Psalm 95:6-7<\/a><\/p>\n

Psalm 95 gives us one of the fullest and clearest pictures of worship in all of Scripture. The psalm begins with a call to joyous praise, as we\u2019re invited to sing and even to shout to the Lord (95:1). We bring our thanks and praise because of who God is as \u201ca great God\u201d and \u201cgreat King above all gods\u201d who created the whole earth (95:2-5).
\nThen Psalm 95 moves from exuberance to humility: \u201cCome, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker\u201d (95:6). In the original Hebrew of this verse, the verbs translated here as \u201cworship,\u201d \u201cbow down,\u201d and \u201ckneel\u201d have similar meanings. They all refer to the physical act of lowering oneself in a gesture of submission to a sovereign ruler. If God is the \u201cgreat King above all gods,\u201d then our proper response is bowing before him, offering all that we are to him in humility and reverence. As William Temple once said, \u201cWorship is the submission of all our nature to God.\u201d
\nThis act of submission is, indeed, the soul of worship. Our words of thanks and songs of praise are expressions of our deepest worship, which is offering our whole selves to God. This happens, not only as we gather for worship with God\u2019s people or draw near to God in our private devotions, but also as we live out our lives in the world. Every step we take and every word we speak, when they are given to the Lord, are acts of genuine worship.
\nQUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>: What helps you to offer all that you are to God in worship? Do you see your daily life as a context for worshiping God? Why or why not? How might you live worshipfully today? Tomorrow?
\nPRAYER<\/strong>: Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
\nTake my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
\nTake my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
\nTake my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
\nTake my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
\nTake my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
\nTake my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
\nTake my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
\nTake my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
\nTake my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
\nTake my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
\nTake myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
\nAmen<\/em>.
\n(The words to this prayer are from the hymn, \u201cTake My Life and Let It Be,\u201d by Frances R. Havergal, 1874, public domain.)<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

<\/a>Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nHere’s how . . . . <\/em><\/strong>
\nThis devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Soul of Worship READ Psalm 95:1-11 \u00a0Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7 Psalm 95 gives us one of the fullest and clearest pictures of worship in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nSunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}