Scriptures That Bother Me — Deuteronomy 1:2

Posted by Jim Thornber on January 8, 2009
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” — Mark Twain

Eleven Days to Rest

I was reading Deuteronomy the other day, and I had trouble getting past verse 2 of the book before my mind started to wander off in a different direction. (Maybe it is just me, but sometimes my mind has a mind of its own.) Verse 2 says, “Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea” (NLT).

In other words, a simple journey that should have taken about two weeks took thirty-eight years (they had already stayed two years at Mt. Sinai – Numbers 1:1). It made me wonder how many times I’ve over-stayed my welcome in one place because I murmured, complained and doubted God’s word. I’d hate to count.

Kadesh-barnea should have been a place of blessing. It was the place God directed Moses to lead the people so that they would have direct access into the Promised Land. But due to a rebellious spirit, it became a place of cursing. Although Kadesh means “Holy” or “consecrated,” a brief study of this place shows it was anything but a holy place to the rebellious children of Israel.

As a concession to the people who doubted that God knew what He was doing (Deut. 1:19-22), Moses allowed twelve men to go into the Promised Land as scouts. A majority of these men reported seeing large, walled cities and a people who descended from giants. What they saw with their eyes then suffocated their faith, and the people claimed that the LORD hated them and brought them here to be slaughtered (Deut. 1:25). (Perhaps this is where too much information can hinder our faith in God?)

It was at Kadesh that Korah’s rebellion took place (Num. 16) and over 250 people died. Miriam died and was buried at Kadesh (Num. 20:1), and it was here that Moses disobeyed the Lord by striking the rock he was directed to speak to (Numb. 20:8-11). Finally, it was not too long after God told the Israelites to move from Kadesh toward Canaan that Aaron died (Num. 20:23-29).

I believe there are many times when God withholds information because He knows we need to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). I know that my faith would have faltered had I known about every giant I was going to face in the places God sent me to live. This is why I am learning to be satisfied with knowing less and believing more.  Too much information can be a faith-killer, and I am going to need all the faith I can muster to rid the land of the giants I will face.

I imagine that God has sent you places where, if you knew what you were getting into, you would have said with the Israelites, “Does the LORD hate me to have brought me here?” Like the Israelites, we may have cried under the oppression of our slavery to sin and prayed for a new beginning. However, when the view of our new assignment overwhelms our faith in God’s provision, we long for the comfort of what we know (even if it is uncomfortable) and wish we could return. This is the place, of course, where we exchange an eleven-day walk for a thirty-eight year wandering in the desert.

But remember, not all the reports of Canaan were bad. The spies also brought back samples of the fruit of the land, and this is the key to the passage. Whereas some people will always focus upon the “opposition,” the Lord wants us to focus on His provision.

So the next time God says, “Go,” let us not ask too many questions about the place He wants to send us. Will there be giants in the land? Probably. But we will also find God in the midst of the giants, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is peace.

Telling Yourself The Truth

Posted by Jim Thornber on January 5, 2009
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Pride. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 11 Comments

The following is a humorous story about my reaction to taking a three year vow of poverty, chastity and obedience with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at the Little Portion Hermitage in Eureka Springs, AR. It is taken from my book Taking Off My Comfortable Clothes, which I hope to see published soon.

When you consider yourself a “cool” Southern California kid, you think you can handle anything that comes your way. Move to Arkansas and join a monastery? No problem. Become the world’s only Assemblies of God monk and take on the largest Pentecostal denomination in the U.S.? Piece of cake. Joyfully anticipate taking a three-year vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, and even invite your mom to fly out from California to witness the experience? Right up my alley.

Until I noticed a little bump on my upper lip.

At first, I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something. Even though it was January, my mom was having some trouble breathing and we thought it might be a reaction to all the cedar trees. Yeah, that’s it. The bump on my lip is due to allergies. I took some Benadryl, said a little prayer and tried to ignore it.

me-and-mom

Me and my mom

But the bump grew larger, and eventually I looked like I got in a fight and came out on the losing end of a right hook.  It didn’t go away until I arrived in California a few days later for a vacation. (The community let us go on a vacation two weeks a year to visit family and friends. I considered it time off for good behavior.).

Back to the fat lip. Dr. Mom diagnosed it right off, but I was too cool to admit the truth she already knew: I was nervous about taking the vows. If anybody asked, I told them I was “fine” about taking the vows. But I was denying the fact that I was nervous about the unknown, and the truth has a way of showing itself in ways that we least expect. My spirit knew the truth and my body expressed it. My pride, and my lip, was swollen and when I finally admitted to myself (and my mom) that I was nervous about taking a three-year vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, the fat lip went away.

From this experience, I offer two “take aways” for those of you who need them.

1. Obviously, I wasn’t as cool as I thought I was, but you already figured that out.

2. When you lie to yourself about how you truly feel, neither drugs, prayer nor rebuking the devil will cure what ails you.

Scriptures That Bother Me — Mark 10:46-52

Posted by Jim Thornber on January 4, 2009
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Service, Writing. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” – Mark Twain

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me…” “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.   The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see” (Mark 10:46-52).

Two things bother me about this passage. The first is that Jesus, upon seeing a blind man, has the audacity to ask him what he wants. Wouldn’t you assume that if a blind beggar has the temerity to shout at the Son of David, “Have mercy on me!” that Jesus would know what the man needed? But that may not be point. Perhaps the point is, “Did Bartimaeus know what Bartimaeus needed?”

The second bothersome question is, “Do I know what I need?” In other words, in what areas of my life am I as blind as poor Bartimaeus? In this way, ‘ol Bart is probably smarter than poor Jim. At least he knew what his greatest need was. Do I?

What is the one thing you would request of God’s mercy if the Lord were to ask, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

I, too, am blind in so many ways. Like the father of the boy with an evil spirit, I find myself praying, “Lord, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Since I have already received from the Lord the greatest gift, that is, eternal salvation, then what more could I ask for?  Do I know?

Paul said he wanted to know Christ above all else (Philippians 3:10). Solomon asked for wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:10). Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2:9). There is no one right answer for every Christian, but there is a right answer for me. And for you.

If I knew what I needed, I wonder how my prayer life would change. How many things would I stop seeking while I pursued the most needful things? In how many ways do I spend money on what is not bread and labor for what does not satisfy my soul (Isaiah 55:2)?

Isaiah 55 reminds us that the most important and satisfying items in our life are those things that cannot be purchased with money: Wisdom, knowledge, sight, and salvation. Eating what is good satisfies the soul, and is a delight in the richest of fare. Jesus said His food was to obey God, “to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

Like Bartimaeus, I too am blind in so many ways. I don’t even know all the things I don’t see. So I choose to respond to the Lord’s question, “What do you want me to do for you, Jim?” with “Lord, I want to see. I want to understand, comprehend, and know what is in front of me and wisely do that which You have created for me to do.” Perhaps then, like Bartimaeus, I can move from simply being a beggar who stumbles through life into a disciple who follows Jesus down the road.

Scriptures That Bother Me — John 4:1-42

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 31, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 13 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” — Mark Twain

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

Sometimes I think I’m a bit too gullible. I’ve often believed things I’ve heard for years without investigating whether or not they’re true. This is especially onerous when it comes to Scripture. For instance, for years I have “gone to church” before I understood that WE ARE the church, or enjoyed the worship service on Sunday without realizing that my life is called to be an act of worship (Rom.12:1).

This gullibility came home hard when I finally read a different rendition of the story about the Samaritan woman Jesus encountered at the well (John 4:1-42). Perhaps every reader has heard it preached that the woman at the well was a notorious sinner who had five husbands and was currently shacking up with guy #6. I, too, swallowed that interpretation without once practicing the discipline of the Bereans, who doubted Paul until they studied the Scriptures for themselves (Acts 17:11).

With that in mind, let us look at this familiar story and consider that perhaps this woman is not wicked or even a harlot, but a prophet.

Although most preachers seem to assume Jesus was talking with a sinful woman, two items make me doubt her “wickedness.” One, if she were truly a wicked woman, why would she be allowed to draw water from a well everyone in town, including her, held as sacred? Two, because of our cultural heritage, we assume she had divorced five times. But since there was almost no divorce in those days, her husbands more than likely died. Deut. 25:5 requires that widow’s brother-in-law marry her if she were childless in order to guarantee an heir. Because of this, Boaz could not marry Ruth until Elimelech declined to fulfill his obligation as a relative (Ruth 4). The previous husbands could have died and the sixth had taken her into his household, perhaps guarding her from other chaperoning relatives, and has not yet married her. In those days, a couple who was betrothed was considered married, just as Joseph and Mary were. Furthermore, the tragedy of five husbands dying would be an indication that God is calling her into service as a prophetess.

Believing she has encountered the Messiah, the Samaritan woman leaves Jesus to return to her city to tell others who do not know about Jesus. Furthermore, take notice of how she phrased her encounter with Jesus. She didn’t say, “I have found the Christ,” but, “Could he possibly be the Messiah?” (John 4:29 NLT). Prophets will not abrogate another person’s need to search for the truth themselves. This approach bears fruit because they tell her, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:42).

Finally, why would an entire town believe the words of a sinful woman regarding the Messiah? How does an openly sinful woman get the attention of a whole community? However, if she was already recognized as a prophetess, we can easily understand why they would investigate her invitation to see “a man who told me everything I ever did” (John 4:29).

There are other indications of her prophetic calling, but you get the picture. And keep in mind that if we can do this with this story, it may be possible to challenge other long-held beliefs and presumptions, traditions and practices. I’ve been guilty in the past of swallowing everything fed to me from the pulpit, because that is the way of an infant. But now that I’ve learned to feed myself, I find it amazing the variety of tastes the Word has to offer.

Scriptures That Bother Me — Matthew 14:22-27

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 26, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” – Mark Twain


Compelled to Board the Boat

This is a passage that many people have trouble with, because it tells us that God sometimes instigates hard times in our lives. It is important for us to be reconciled with this concept; because if we do not, we may find ourselves forever kicking against the goads (Acts 26:14).

Just after Jesus feeds the five thousand, the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John tell us that Jesus “made” the disciples get into the boat and go to the western shore of Galilee. This word “made” may also be translated “compel,” “necessitate” or even “force.”  It is a very strong word that leaves little doubt the disciples did not have a choice in the matter.

What we see in these passages is Jesus compelling the disciples into a boat He knew would take them into a storm, find them “straining at the oars” (Mark 6:48) and ultimately blown off their intended course. The disciples, intending to take a short boat ride across the northern tip of a lake that is merely four miles wide, soon find they were still in the middle of the lake (Mark 6:47) after rowing three or three and a half miles. They were in a storm and going nowhere fast. Fortunately, Jesus rescues them by walking across the lake.

At first, this sounds like a heartless thing for Jesus to do. Why would God send us to a place where He knows we will fight, strain and struggle, only to wind up further from our destination than when we started? I believe that Jesus needed the disciples to learn a number of lessons, and the first lesson was that He was still sovereign over all His creation.

The account in John (6:16-21) tells us that the disciples were amazed at Jesus because they didn’t understand the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Had they taken time to meditate upon the miracle of the loaves, they wouldn’t have been surprised and amazed at the Lord’s sovereignty over the wind and the waves. I know I’ve been amazed at God on more than one occasion, and that is more of an indicator of my lack of understanding than it is in God’s ability to produce miracles.

We see in John’s gospel an instance where God repeats Himself for the sake of the disciples. It was important for them to understand God’s hand in nature, for this understanding would be vital in their own ministry. When God repeats Himself in our life (and He has done it more than once in mine…), it may be a strong indicator that He wants us to learn something important for a task He has in store for us. Of course, it may also mean that we didn’t learn it the first time around! Only when we do not understand the significance of Christ’s former works will we be amazed at what He is doing now.

However, there are also some comforting moments in this episode. Not only does He send us into the storm, but He knows we are straining (Mark 6:48), He is interceding while we are in the storm (Matt. 14:23), and He comes to us in the midst of our struggles. Job 23:10 says, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” God is aware of where we are; it is only us who cannot always identify the places we’ve been blown to.

I’ll admit, sometimes I’ve been compelled into a boat that I thought would be an easy row across a small lake, only to find myself in over my head and straining to maintain my momentum. It is at the darkest hour of the night that Jesus shows up, if only to remind us that He has never left us. But there is something else. I believe God wants us to remember that for all our human effort, there is nothing so miraculously comforting as His simple presence walking onto our boat. And when He does, somehow, we will find ourselves on the shore we were headed to in the first place (John 6:21).

Scriptures That Bother Me — Matthew 14:25

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 22, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Spiritual Gifts. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” – Mark Twain


Jesus Does Not Need My Boat

Matthew 14:25 says, “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.” This seems like a straightforward Scripture, but the part that challenges me is this: Jesus does not need my boat.

Our “boat” is anything we possess that enables us to do our job, fulfill our calling and arrive at out God-chosen destination. It could be our experiences, titles, education, salary, family connections or possessions. But Jesus, after making the disciples get into the boat and encounter a storm, walked across the water to be with them. Jesus did not need their boat.

Too often we (which means, of course, primarily me!) assume that God has brought us to this certain place, endowed us with these certain gifts, allowed us to experience those particular things because He is going to use them for this particular purpose. But we deceive ourselves when we think we have the plans of God all figured out. Jesus does not need our boat.

There was a time, of course, when Jesus chose to use our boat. In Luke 5:1-3, Jesus used Peter’s boat in order to teach the crowds that had gathered around Him. Afterward, Jesus instructed Peter to go back out and fish, even though they had fished all night and caught nothing. Their catch after obeying the Lord was so large it almost sank Peter’s boat (Luke 5:7).

Later in our walk with Jesus, He shows us He has other means of accomplishing the purposes of God for our life. He wants us to grow beyond the safety and security of our “known” talents and abilities. Jesus wants us to learn that just about the time we think we’ve got the methods and motives of God figured out, He purposely sends us into a storm so that He can scare the wits out of us by appearing in a form we least expect.

Sometimes the storm is a financial scare so He can appear in the form of our Provider. We thought we were providing everything for our family, but God reminds us that everything we have comes from Him (1 Chron. 29:14).

Other times we think it is our education or vocational connections that will land us that career we’ve always wanted, but then a call comes from someone we don’t know and we enter into a career we never imagined.

After four years of Bible College and two years of completing a Masters in Ministry, I’m finding that everything I thought I knew about being a pastor has brought me headlong into a storm that seems to be taking me further and further from the shore of church “ministry.” For some reason, I find that my life’s testimony is more effective on a construction site than in a church classroom, and unsaved men are changing their behavior because I walk into a room. However, I know it is not me they are responding to, but the Jesus within me.

Only now am I starting to realize that Jesus doesn’t need my boat-my education, teaching techniques, study habits, etc.-to lead me in His direction. And to tell you the truth, the vision I am now getting of God is scary, amazing, and unknowable all at the same time. I sometimes feel like I’m in the middle of a lake, pulling against the oars and drifting further and further from my goal. However, I know that one day I will arrive on the shore of His choosing, at the time of His appointing, to do the work of His anointing. We may not arrive there in my boat, but we will arrive there just the same.

A Lost Soul

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 16, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Spiritual Gifts. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

I’ve been reading Henri Nouwen’s book The Return Of The Prodigal Son (Image Books, 1994). He has a passage in the book which just wrung me out this morning. And, since I like to share Scriptures That Bother Me, I thought I’d also share some “Nouwen That Bothers Me.” Enjoy.

What happened to the son in the distant country? Aside from all the material and physical consequences, what were the inner consequences of the son’s leaving home? The sequence of events is quite predictable. The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I am able to hear the voice that calls me the Beloved, and the less I hear that voice, the more entangled I become in the manipulations and power games of the world.

It goes somewhat like this: I am not so sure anymore that I have a safe home, and I observe other people who seem to be better off than I. I wonder how I can get to where they are. I try hard to please, to achieve success, to be recognized. When I fail, I feel jealous of resentful of these others. When I succeed, I worry that others will be jealous or resentful of me. I become suspicious or defensive and increasingly afraid that I won’t get what I so much desire or will lose what I already have. Caught in tangle of needs and wants, I no longer know my own motivations. I feel victimized by my surroundings and distrustful of what others are doing or saying. Always on my guard, I lose my inner freedom and start dividing the world into those who are for me and those who are against me. I wonder if anyone really cares. I start looking for validations of my distrust. And wherever I go, I see them, and I say: “No one can be trusted.” And then I wonder whether anyone ever really loved me. The world around me becomes dark. My heart grows heavy. My body is filled with sorrows. My life loses meaning. I have become a lost soul

What really strikes me is the statement, “Caught in this tangle of needs and wants, I no longer know my own motivations.” Caught between needing to provide for my family, wanting to see my book published, needing to see my gifts used in the Church, wanting to contribute to the Kingdom of God….“I no longer know my own motivations.”


But I know the One who does. And when I am done running around the distant country looking for what I want to be when I grow up, He is always there to welcome me home with open arms.

Scriptures That Bother Me — Luke 2:14

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 15, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” – Mark Twain

The Favor of God

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” Luke 2:14

I was doing some Christmas-time reading this morning when I came upon this Scripture. “How,” you may ask, “during the Christmas season, can such a wonderful, sublime, uplifting, awe-inspiring announcement by a host of heavenly angels on the announcement of a baby-Savior born in Bethlehem bother you?” It’s simple. I have trouble comprehending that I am one upon whom God’s favor rests.

When I think about the favor of God, it seems to me that His favor mostly rests on someone else, and their accomplishments for the Kingdom are proof-positive that God favors them. But what about me? What have I done to garnish God’s favor? I’m a middle-aged man who feels he has yet to make a mark on the world. Nothing I’ve done seems very significant. No magazine has written an article about me, there are no ministries founded in my name (or, thank God, in my memory!) and no schools with a “Thornber Chapel” or a “James D. Thornber Hall.”

I’m the type who sometimes thinks God is waiting to punish me, and I look for meaningful messages in everything. Since my internet provider is down this morning, I take it as a sign from God I’m spending too much time blogging and not enough time in prayer. If I have a flat tire, I attribute it to a jealous thought I had about a co-worker or the argument I had with my wife. If I lose my job, it’s because God is teaching me I didn’t work hard enough and wasted too much time.

Besides, why should I have the favor of God? And what does it mean to have God’s favor? I looked it up, and “favor” means “good pleasure and well-pleased.” What have I done that God is “well-pleased” with me and His “good pleasure” rests on my life? Nothing, really. But then, that’s the point.

In this passage, the angels ascribe glory to God for His favorable disposition towards the people of earth. That includes me. And what did I “do” to obtain God’s favor? Nothing. It has all been done for me. And that is where I err. Too often I’m still trying to “earn” His love and favor the way I earn a paycheck. However, even the faith I have is a gift from God (Rom. 12:3).

Most of us have great difficulty accepting the grace of God – His unearned, unmerited, un-worked-for good pleasure and well-pleasing thoughts about our life. All we see are our sins, mistakes and shortcomings. God sees those things too, but He also sees our future. Is His favor undeserved? Of course. But that is the way of love. Love isn’t about deserving; it’s about choosing the best for another at the expense of yourself.

To understand this better, let’s consider a family. Through a precious and intimate encounter, loving couples choose to bring a baby into the world. They love that child completely and totally, unconditionally and without restraint, even before she is born. They know the child will make mistakes and drive them crazy with worry, but they love that child anyway. What did the child “do” to earn such favor and love? Nothing. In the same way, deserving God’s favor and love was never the point. Accepting His love and favor is.

Now, as I contemplate the favor of God, I realize that His favor has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Him. The angels in this passage give glory to God for His gracious and unmerited favor – they don’t say anything about us deserving it.

Now I’m finally able to understand it a little better. God’s favor does rest on me because God chooses it to be so. My faith in His forgiving act of love at Calvary insures that His good pleasure will remain on my life not because of what I do, but because of whose I am. Knowing this, perhaps I’ve just given myself the ultimate Christmas present.

Scriptures That Bother Me — Prov. 16:3

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 11, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Service. Tagged: , , , , . 3 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” – Mark Twain

Committed to Success

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed” (Proverbs 16:3-Amplified).

I don’t know about you, but not everything I’ve done has been a success. Even those things I’ve given over to God have not always met with the kind of success I’ve hoped for. Only after digging into Proverbs 16:3 did I begin to understand what God was up to.

I first memorized this Scripture from the NIV, which tells me to “commit” my plans to the Lord. But when I found the same word is translated “roll” in the Amplified, I began a study of the word. In the Hebrew, the word commit does mean roll, but it also means to move a stone by getting it out of the way, to roll in blood or to be dyed red. Now I was really on a roll (pun intended).

This tells me that every plan I have must be in conjunction with the will of God, according to the price paid by the blood of Jesus, if my plans are going to succeed. This is why every selfish, vain, prideful plan I’ve had has failed. Even if I rolled my plans into the clothes of religious terminology (“I declare, in Jesus name, to take control over the devil’s schemes so the gates of hell will not prevail against it, for the glory of God Amen”), the plan will fail if it is not a plan that glorifies God.

Furthermore, I’m still discovering I cannot commit something to God if I am not willing to let it go. It is impossible to roll a bowling ball down the lane if you refuse to let it go. Too often, I have been guilty of “committing” my plans to God, only to keep one hand on the plan and try to steer the direction it will take. But that is not how it works. 1 Peter 5:7 says we should “cast” all our cares upon Jesus. This word cast was also used for the way people cast their garments upon the donkey Jesus used to ride into Jerusalem. Once they cast them for Jesus’ use, they had to trust Jesus would take them to the place that served Him best.

How often have I truly cast my cares upon Jesus, rolling them up and handing them over to Him so He may make them successful? I think sometimes He takes our plans and puts them on a shelf, knowing that those plans would do us more harm than good, and the only successful way of dealing with our ideas is by saying “No.”

I also think this has something to do with the way we forgive. (Didn’t see that transition coming, did you?). Too often I have said I’ve forgiven someone who has offended me, only to treat them as if they owed me something, or held the offense over their head, or allowed bitterness or skepticism to enter the relationship. But if I truly commit, roll and move the stone of unforgiveness out of the way, then I’ll carry on the relationship in a manner that exhorts the other person and honors God. And wouldn’t that be a marvelous way to live?


Prepared to Worship, Prepared to Change

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 8, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Service. Tagged: , , , , , , . 2 Comments

This is another excerpt from my (hopefully-soon-to-be published) book Taking Off My Comfortable Clothes, about the lessons I learned as the world’s only Assemblies of God monk.

In the Old Testament, when the people gathered for worship there was an expectancy that God would speak. When Moses entered the Tabernacle, he went in knowing that he was entering into the very presence of God. The priests in the Old Testament went to great lengths to make sure they did everything the Lord instructed them to do before they began to serve Him around the Tabernacle or the Temple, for some priests were killed by God for serving Him in an unworthy manner (Lev. 10:1).

When we read Acts 2, we see that the wind blew and shook the upper room when the disciples gathered for prayer and worship. And I don’t think the believers were very surprised. Likewise, when we come together as a family to worship God, we should expect God to meet us too, for Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20). When I was a monk, we gathered in the chapel at the Little Portion with an expectancy that we would meet with God. The physical acts of worship — kneeling, standing, raising our hands, making the sign of the cross — are designed to involve the whole person in a spiritual act of worship. We cannot separate the spiritual from the physical. Any truly spiritual act will find an expression through our bodies, whether that be in raising our hands as we sing of God’s glory, or stretching out our hands to serve those less fortunate.

You may think it very spiritual to be a monk or a nun who spends most of their days in prayer and contemplation of God. But I know of no monastic tradition, even those who spend up to 19 hours a day alone with God, where no work is done. Please do not get the impression that you’d be more spiritual if you didn’t have a job to go to and all that was required of you was to sit in a comfortable chair and worship God while heavenly music played in the background. Jesus worshipped God alone in the mountains, but He always came down and met the needs of the people. If your worship of God does not lead to your service of people, then I don’t know who or what you were worshipping, but it was not God.

How many ways can you think of to worship God that DOES NOT involve a church service, music, being alone or prayer? I am not putting down or degrading corporate worship in church, but rather I am lifting up the different ways we can worship God in our everyday life.

For instance, since God created us in His image, when we speak to one another with the same respect and reverence we would speak to the Lord, wouldn’t you say we were honoring, if not worshipping, God? Therefore, when we speak with our spouses and our children in a tone that honors God, it is a work of service that is also a form of worship. Besides, how many of us would change the tone of our voice when we speak with our family if Jesus were physically standing in the room? If we were talking to our spouse but looking a nail-scared hands, don’t you think we’d have a slightly different attitude? And when our attitude changes, I think we are paying homage to God, and we have entered into worship.

True worship will evoke change in your life. Since the followers of Jesus of Nazareth will worship God in “spirit and in truth,” (John 4:23), then the truth is our reverential worship of God will lead to a change in our life. I will venture to say that if your worship time is not changing your life with God, family and neighbor, then true worship is not taking place.