As you walk out each day, do you live it radically, intentionally? I don't want to look back on my life and realize that I just let it happen; that I drifted by and didn't live a purposeful, radical, worshipful life. I want to experience radical love, radical joy and extend radical grace and forgiveness. What a way to honor the One who created us to worship and fellowship with Him!
Radical love isn't easy. It's easy to love the lovely, the popular, the accepted. It's not so easy to love the unlovely, the angry, the rebellious, the unaccepted. Radical love seeks out those who have been rejected and those who lives don't look like ours and extends a hand, a heart, a hug. Scripture says "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." This is true worship.
Radical joy isn't easy. It's not difficult to be happy when all of our circumstances are going well and all things are just the way we like them. Happiness is not joy. Radical joy is knowing that God will use everything good and bad in our lives to bring us blessing. He will not cause bad things, but he will take bad things and use them for good. This can fill you with radical joy, when others would look at you and say, you should be sad or mad or bitter right now. Scripture says "He will turn our mourning into dancing." That is true worship.
Radical grace and forgiveness aren't easy. People do heinous things that we can't even wrap our minds around. They break our hearts and they abandon us. God doesn't ask us to keep these people in our lives. But He asks us to forgive them and extend His grace. That's radical. That's not what the world teaches. Scriptures says "if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the alter and go. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift." That is true worship.
I want to live an intentional and radical life, making everyday a sacrifice of love, joy and grace. What a way to worship God in all I do!
I'm joining with Paula Ebert and others on
Worship Wednesdays. Hop on over to her blog and see what others are saying about worship!
From His Lap,
