Long before the eye, mind and heart opening experience of BT and L. Ray Smith there’s been this one verse that has, for some very odd reason, stuck in my heart and mind for many years, since a child.
Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
The profound part?..........”worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff”. KJV has ‘leaning’ in italics. Not sure why, doesn’t matter I suppose.
To me that is a humbling to the (my) spirit. This man Jacob, aged and tired and dying, leaned (because he couldn’t stand straight?...), or because he unfailingly knew the source of faith?….., or both?.....’worshipped’ God.
I picture this as a man of faith that doesn’t falter, doesn’t waver, doesn’t oscillate, doesn’t doubt, grounded down and built up to a man of true faith. Like Job.
When I think on that and picture Jacob leaning and worshipping in my mind, I relish the thought.
Leaning and worshipping.
Not some thin layer of fragile faith, but a well grounded, un-moveable faith. Faith ‘of’..not in. I once believed it was ‘faith in’ and remained stumped (and still do) that my 'faith' never could seem to measure up or stay bold. I’m pretty sure it’s faith ‘of’. Ray speaks on it in a paper. Can you imagine having such a faith? I can ‘imagine’ it, but I don’t have it. God forgive, so too often I blow in the wind. Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ray is so good at what he has been blessed and charged to do:L. Ray Smith
Topic: WORSHIP IN SPIRIT & TRUTH !“What did Jesus have that those in the Old Testament did not have?
Deu 5:29 “O that there were SUCH A HEART IN THEM, that they would fear Me, and KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS ALWAYS, that it might be well with them…”
Well Jesus had such a heart in Him. That’s the difference, we just saw it. It said you live by every word of God, you worship and serve God only. Jesus would say, the real food to Me is not this fish and bread we’re going to eat, but serving and obeying God and doing what He wants Me to do.
He completed that work under the worst and hardest circumstances and that’s because He had that heart in Him and He said, “… that they would keep all my commandments always…” Well that’s what Christ did! The commandments - the law, is spiritual (Rom. 7:14).
So worship has got to be spiritual. It isn’t that you don’t do physical things in life that are right, but those physical things are motivated with your mind. I mean you don’t get up to walk until your mind says to get up and then to move your legs. It starts with your mind. Your body is totally useless without our mind. I mean our mind is what motivates every action of the body. Even when you’re sleeping and your heart is beating, it’s all motivated by the mind.
So the law is spiritual, but you have to have such a heart in you and Christ had such a heart in Him. That’s how He worshipped God right and properly.
So you only need to take one thing away with you here today.
WORSHIP IS OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD, which is Light and that Light is Christ. If you don’t live by it there is NO Light in you, there is NO Christ in you. It all comes down to obedience.
But obedience, that is where it is at. Sometimes we come short, I know. But there is no doubt in my mind, that's what it’s all about, and I know what it’s all about.”
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,5312.0.htmlYes, indeed you do Ray. "Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." Thanks for feeding the sheep Ray.
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Topic: Leaning and worshipping. (Read 2959 times)