Judging and true worship

We are rolling right through our year-long reading of the Bible. I love how the Angel greets Gideon in Judges 6, even though Gideon didn’t have a high opinion of himself.

‘The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” ‘
Judges 6:12,15

You are a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of God’s creation.

We all have an internal judge that tells us things about ourselves and others that aren’t true. We need to look at ourselves and others as God sees us—as unique masterpieces of His creation. He loved us so much, He sent His son to die for every one of us. We won’t reach perfection in this world, but when we believe and devote ourselves to Christ, He will transform us, and one day we will be perfect like Jesus.

To live as God’s masterpiece, we have to stay connected to Jesus. That’s why I love how today’s reading in Colossians instructs us to devote ourselves to prayer, to have an alert mind, and to have a thankful heart. This is a great way to start, to focus on throughout, and to end our day.

‘Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. ‘
Colossians 4:2

Colossians 4:2 goes really well with today’s verse of the day and reminds us that true worship isn’t singing a few songs on Sunday mornings at church. True worship is submitting ourselves to Christ and recognizing His Lordship in our lives, which is all that matters. We have to be ready with an alert mind to explain our hope in Jesus.

‘Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. ‘
1 Peter 3:15