We Must Give Our Best To God - Lesson 7

As we worship God, we give Him ourselves. Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethern, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service." Under the Old Testament some of the Jews were not offering their best and were condemned for it. In Malachi 1:8 we read, "And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil?" Is it not just as evil today when we do not give God our best?

Under the New Testament we do not offer animal sacrifices as the Jews did under the Old Testament; but we give Him our lives in service to Him as a living sacrifice. In doing this we must give Him our all. Anything we do for God must be our very best. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind." All our heart, soul, and mind, or in other words, our total being must be in our worship.

How do we show our love to God? Our Lord says in John 14:21, "He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me." We show our love to God when we keep His commandments. We do not show our love to God if we only keep the commandments we want to keep or if we add some of our own commandments.

In Matthew 28:18, before Christ ascended into heaven, He was giving His apostles some last minute instructions concerning those they would baptize. Jesus said, "Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." Everything the Lord has commanded us is to be observed. We are to do all that God says and in the way He says to do it. Jesus says in Luke 6:46, "But why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

In worship we must do all God has commanded and we must do nothing He has not authorized. Our worship must be from the heart with all reverence and sincerity. We must give Him our very best. Then and only then will we be worshipping God "in spirit and in truth". The purpose and holiness of true worship to God is a precious privilege available only to those who are obedient to the will of God.
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Lesson found at http://www.bible.ca/interactive/worship-7-give-best.htm

Worshipping God In Spirit - Lesson 2

Worshipping God "in spirit" means with reverence, attentiveness, and having the right purpose of honoring God, while understanding what we are doing. Hebrews 12:28-29 says, "Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." Our worship must glorify God. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

In order to worship God in the right spirit, we must take time before worship to make ready our hearts and emotions so we will be in the proper frame of mind. We should not have to rush or hurry to worship, arriving late but should always plan to be there early enough so we can be in a worshipful attitude and spirit. Our mind must be ready, attentive, and alert.

Concerning the Lord's Supper, we are warned in 1 Corinthians 11:27, "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." Our worship to God must be done in a worthy manner. It must be done in a manner that brings glory and honor to God and Christ. Continuing to read in verse 29, "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." We must control our thoughts during periods of worship and not let them wander to other things. We should never be wishing the worship service would hurry up and be over so we can get to the restaurant early and not have to stand in line. In fact we should be of the frame of mind that we are disappointed to see the worship service end.

In showing reverence and respect to God, we will not be indifferent, inattentive, and taking lightly that which should be considered serious. Worship to God is holy. Our character in worship must also be holy. In 1 Peter 1:16-17 we read, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, because it is written, Be holy for I am holy." Slouching over, sleeping, playing with babies, squirming, unnecessary talking, and passing notes all show disrespect in worshipping God. Active participation will tend to get rid of our lack of interest and inattentiveness.

Reverence is not having a long face, folded hands, or a put on look of piety. Worship is a time of joy for us. It is a time of offering thanks, adoration, love, praying, singing praises to God, feeding on His word, and proclaiming Christ to the world in partaking of the Lord's Supper.

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Article taken from  http://www.bible.ca/interactive/worship-2-in-spirit.htm

Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate: Forgiveness Heals But It's Often Not An Easy Thing To Give

Watch Atonement on PBS. See more from Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate.

In the new PBS film Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate, acclaimed writer, producer and director Helen Whitney explores a compelling range of stories, from personal betrayal to global reconciliation after genocide.


Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate provides an intimate look into the spontaneous outpouring of forgiveness: from the Amish families for the 2006 shooting of their children in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania; the struggle of '60s radicals to cope with the serious consequences of their violent acts of protest; the shattering of a family after the mother abandons them, only to return seeking forgiveness; the legacy and divisiveness of apartheid and the aftermath of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in South Africa; the penitential journey of a modern-day Germany, confronting the horrific acts of the Holocaust; and the riveting stories of survivors of the unimaginably, brutal Rwandan genocide.

Once a uniquely religious word, forgiveness now is changing and there is no consensus about what it is and what it is becoming. However you define forgiveness, its power is real — and never more so when it struggles with the unforgivable. Inevitably, as Whitney reveals, its new role in the world raises serious and complex questions: why is forgiveness in the air today; what does that say about us and the times we live in; what are its power, its limitations and in some instances its dangers; has it been cheapened or deepened... or both?


                                      "If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive."
                                                             –Mother Teresa

People across the globe, from all cultures and traditions, embrace love and forgiveness in daily life. These values are universally viewed as central to the fabric of humanity. Yet, the emerging global community has few institutions dedicated to deepening the understanding and spreading the application of these values. In this context, the Fetzer Institute pursues a unique role—working to investigate, activate, and celebrate the power of love and forgiveness as a practical force for good in today’s world.

The Fetzer Institute launched The Campaign for Love and Forgiveness in 2006 as an experiment in capacity building and community building at the grassroots level. The campaign has touched thousands of people by inviting them to bring love and forgiveness to the center of individual and community life.

Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate is designed to encourage contemplation and spark conversation. The Institute invites viewers to engage with additional resources developed by The Campaign for Love and Forgiveness including curriculum-based conversations and activities.


Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate is written, produced and directed by Helen Whitney. Executive producers are Paul Dietrich and Ian Watson. WETA executive producers are Dalton Delan and David S. Thompson.

• Download the Conversations About Forgiveness Facilitator Guide (6.1 MB) for information, suggestions, and tools for facilitating conversations about forgiveness in your community, organization, or school. For more Forgiveness video:

• Filmmaker Helen Whitney discusses her latest project, Forgiveness: A Time to Love and A Time to Hate.

• Helen Whitney discusses her hopes for Forgiveness: A Time to Love and A Time to Hate.

• Author Terri Jentz tells her personal story of being savagely attacked while camping as a college student, her search for her attacker and justice, and, ultimately, her journey from denial and depression to righteous anger and health.

• 1960's anti-war activist Kathy Power talks about her surrender to authorities after decades on the run, her imprisonment and search for forgiveness from the Schroeder family.

• Hear the story of Dan Glick and his former wife Liesbeth Gerritsen, whose family is torn apart by Liesbeth's decision to leave to start a new life thousands of miles away. Her family grapples with the idea of Forgiveness.

• The Rwandan genocide of 1994 is examined through first-hand witness testimony. It brings up the question, can forgiveness can be legislated by a natio

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Courtesy of http://www.pbs.org/programs/forgiveness/