The Origin of True Worship

When God forgives us for Christ’s sake he accepts us as we are. So we don’t have to pretend anymore. We can now face ourselves and what we have done without being driven to despair. For God “declares the guilt to be innocent” (Romans 4:5) – declares us righteous in His sight on the basis of the once-for-all death of Christ for us. When we grasp this wonderful truth, the healing of all our hurts begins (a process, not overnight). I can accept myself because God has accepted me.

C.S. Lewis described the Christian life as “going in for the full treatment.” Jesus promised that, after He returned to heaven, God would send the Holy Spirit to live within every person who is reconciled to God. Turning from our sins and asking for Christ’s forgiveness gives us the privilege of receiving His Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a bit like an interpreter. He reveals Jesus to us, illuminating His teaching and applying the significance of His death on the cross to our lives. He helps us to know God intimately and gives us direction in life. But He is more than an interpreter. For He brings Jesus into our lives as the One who saves us – the Savior – and become our Lord and Friend. For if the Holy Spirit lives in us, so does Jesus.

We cannot fully understand the cross. It has depths to it that we cannot plumb – depths of love and mercy that we shall never exhaust. But this we can know: Jesus died for sinners, and these sinners – you and me – needs to respond to such amazing love. This is the origin of our true worship, a respond to God’s amazing grace.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.