No, not that kind of 'prepper' that has become the focus of popular reality shows, stocking shelves and learning survival skills in preparation for catastrophic events.
I'm talking about general life preparation steps.
I believe we are ALL preppers to some degree.
I suppose my addiction to organizing things may put me in the 'extreme prepper' category when it comes to being ready for daily life and tasks, but I'm inclined to think I'm not alone.
Most probably fall into the 'average prepper' category...making sure things are ready for what is coming up in the next week or days.
You may be a prepper if you:
- Pull together some notes for a meeting or interview coming up in the next week
- Plan meals for the family and make sure you have the groceries required
- Clean the house when you know company will be coming
- Lay out clothes the night before a big day so you are not rushed the next morning
Some of us go to the extremes...
- Our notes for the meeting are compiled from days of internet searches and variations of revised lists!
- Our family meal planning is done a month at a time and no variations are allowed!
...and some of us take the 'minimalist' approach to our prepping...
- Our notes for the meeting are jotted down on the back of an envelop the night before!
- Our meals are planned a few hours before dinner, but we did get to the grocery store earlier in the week so we had things to choose from!
I could go on and on with little things we do to be prepared in life, but that isn't the point of my post today. It's actually the foundation of an Ah Ha moment I had in church yesterday. Our pastor was speaking about superficial praise and at one point challenged us to consider Monday - Saturday our time to prepare for worship and praise on Sunday.
That's when I jotted down this question:
"How would my daily life change
if I viewed Monday - Saturday
as time to prepare for Sunday?"
I began thinking about how dedicated I am to preparing myself for other things in life.
- Easter Sunday is coming and I've been working with the family on the dinner menu for weeks. I've also given thought on more than one occasion to clothing and even discussed it with my daughter.
- I have an interview on Wednesday and a lot of time has been dedicated to making sure I am ready to have an intelligent conversation about the company and what I bring to the table.
- When I have been asked to sing a solo for Sunday services, I will spend days and weeks practicing the song.
Then I compared those examples to how I approach the day set aside to worship God.
Hmmmmm.... do I prepare for it or just come to it? Does it matter?
Our pastor delivered his message from John 12 verses 12-26, but it was verse 16 that shouted to me...YES ~ preparation matters!
John 12:16
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
Jesus had to reveal the glory of His plans to the disciples so they could understand what was happening and how it glorified God.
I too need God to reveal to me His glory every single day. Left on my own, my view becomes self centered, prideful, critical, bitter or full of self pity. And how does God reveal His glory to me? When I take time to read His word, meditate on His thoughts and listen to His voice.
Yes, preparation matters. Without it, I walk blindly into a room full of people, words and music but no realization of what it's all about. Sure, I have the 'big picture'...this is God's day, this is something I'm supposed to do on my check list of things 'good Christians' do...but I am not prepared with a spirit of worship.
And what is a 'spirit of worship'? I love this verse from John...
John 4: 23-24
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
So much to dig into in this verse alone:
- "true worshipers"...implying there are false worshipers or maybe even pretend worshipers
- worship in Spirit and in truth...
- God SEEKS these kind of worshipers...
I'm excited about exploring all of these bulleted thoughts in the coming weeks as part of my 'prepping' for Sundays! But being the 'extreme' prepper that I am, my knee jerk response to this ah ha moment about prepping for Sunday is 'where is the list of steps'?
If I'm preparing for a meeting, I have a list of things that must be done and in what order they must be accomplished so that I am prepared.
If I'm preparing a meal plan for my family, I have a list of recipes and groceries needed to be sure my plans are successful.
I praise God that He provides a clear path to follow in prepping for Praise and Worship. Scripture is full of His very clear instructions:
- Psalm 15
- Micah 6:6-8
- Psalm 95:1-7
- Psalm 100:4
- Psalm 96
- 1 Peter 2:9
- and so many more...
I look forward to spending time with God on all of these and more as He reveals more of Himself to me, but I found this word from Matthew has the inspiration for 'the list' I need for now: ~
Matthew 15:7-9
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but
their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their
teachings are merely human rules."
We can go through the motions of worship but it will be meaningless unless our hearts are right with Him. That's where the preparations steps begin.
A Suggested 'List' for Preparing our Hearts.
- Daily quieting of our hearts in prayer and meditation
- Daily asking God to reveal the truths we need to see about our hearts.
- Daily responding to the truths God reveals with repentance when needed and petitions for help as needed.
- Daily asking God to reveal to our hearts more of His glory...asking Him to give us eyes to see His glory even when times are hard, disappointing, confusing or heartbreaking.
- Daily offerings of heartfelt praise.
For those that are like me, thinking "this is a lot like the daily quiet times I do already...so there's nothing new here for me"... I'd like to close by going back to the question I mentioned earlier...the one I jotted down during the pastor's message.
"How would my daily life change
if I viewed Monday - Saturday
as time to prepare for Sunday?"
Only exchange
'daily life'
with
'my quiet time'
"How would my quiet time change
if I viewed Monday - Saturday
as time to prepare for Sunday?"
This gave me reason to pause and see my daily quiet time in a new way...
- daily time with God in His word and in prayer is more than just learning and asking...it's preparing me to be an offering of praise and worship to my creator.
- it changes my focus from filling myself with knowledge to opening myself to the filling of His Spirit.
- it's a private act of worship, preparing me for the corporate act of worship
I keep typing and deleting the thoughts that are spilling out of my heart with this change in perspective...thoughts that I need to set aside and build on another day.
However, one overwhelming thought occurred to me
and I'll close with it today.
"How will my time in church on Sunday change
as I use Monday - Saturday
Will you pray with me...
Oh Lord God, how my heart beats today with joy and great anticipation of being more prepared to worship You. I confess that too often church is where I go because I said I would, or because I don't want to let a person down. I confess that too many times my thoughts at church turn to who I need to pray for to be moved by Your word that day instead of making it all about how I can worship and praise You in that moment. Forgive me Lord for losing sight of why You called us to come together in the first place. We were created to worship You and our corporate times of worship are all about You Lord. Your word tells us that You SEEK those who come to worship You in spirit and in truth. I commit my days to surrendering my heart to be a true worshiper, that You may find me to be pleasing in Your sight Oh Lord. Thank You Lord for revealing to me more of what I need to let go of so I can be filled with more of what You have for me. I worship You in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our recipe today is for Worship
The ingredients are from James 4:23-24
The directions are to use Mon. - Sat. to prepare for Sunday.
The ingredients are from James 4:23-24
The directions are to use Mon. - Sat. to prepare for Sunday.
{CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.}
Other conversations held at His table that may feed your soul today...
Heart Felt Praise and Worship
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair.
If you don't already, won't you join us?
Heart Felt Praise and Worship
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair.
If you don't already, won't you join us?
Just click the link above, submit your email address and then
be sure to click the 'verify' link when the email is sent to your inbox.
After that, I'll be saving you a chair at the table!
God Bless and Keep You,
Copyright© 2012 Feeding a Hungry Soul
For more time at His table, try visiting these blogs
where I like to link up in fellowship with other followers of Christ.
A word of encouragement? A note to say 'hey'? Just click comments below...it makes my day! |
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