I think it’s rather interesting that once Samuel did get to him, David was also described as an attractive young man. So it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be an unattractive outward appearance just because the heart looks good to God. In fact, the more comely the countenance of the heart, there will be a direct affect upon the outward appearance.

There is, though, an impression of our appearance that directly affects our qualifications in the kingdom, and while it would be easily and correctly assumed that God’s impression of that appearance is most important, there is someone else who is also essential in the casting of this inward look– each one of us. Before it will ever be possible to stand in the office of the anointing God has placed on our lives, there will have to be an adjustment of just how we look at ourselves. Though we might not feel too confident in the way God is looking at us, much assurance can be received that He is actually thinking and seeing incredible beauty and potential greatness in the creation He has formed and those to whom He is continuing to apply His masterly touch. In fact, if it were only fully known just how highly He looks upon us and how greatly He admires what He sees, there would be a large expansion of boldness and self-confidence in approaching His throne where grace is found.

A proud look is assuredly one that God detests completely (Proverbs 16:16-17), but any advance into the secret place will still require an inward glance that produces a sense of assurance, and this assurance will need to be developed and nurtured by the very words God has used to describe His impression of us. For every aspect of our life that is in need of a makeover, there is a place of promise in Christ that will transform our less than presentable image to that of His. In our driven quest for the fulfilled life of unwavering worship there will be no progress beyond our ability to acquire ‘the look’, where we confidently see ourselves as our Father does, totally complete and wonderfully attractive in Christ.

There is an incredible impartation of life from a father to a son or daughter, and beyond the mere act of conception, an ongoing transfer of this life will complete the role of fatherhood.

What an amazing privilege, honor, and responsibility it is for a man to enable another living being to enter into the world. To live here on earth is to be empowered to influence and affect this environment and atmosphere with unique God-crafted gifts and talents. A father not only makes possible the introduction of this life into the earth, but, through a lifetime has great potential in contributing to the fulfillment of his child’s designed purpose. It was the entrance into the world as a man that enabled Jesus to ‘execute judgment’, and while it would seem that coming to earth for Him was a significantly lowered state, it was actually the position required for redemption’s fulfillment. Though born the Son of God, the discovery of who He was and His ultimate purpose came from time spent with His Father. His entrance into the world as a son of man put Him in a qualifying position, but it was the fathering He received through a lifetime that brought fulfillment to that position’s purpose.

This role of fatherhood, while being severely challenged by our culture today, is one to be increasingly honored of those who have made the commitment of their life to giving of themselves way beyond a single moment in time. To be greatly honored also are those who have taken on this role, adopting those in need of the fathering that will enable them in their life’s purpose. Each precious heart that has successfully survived many challenges to live and breath on this earth is meant to discover the purpose for which they were created. How great is the father’s part and bringing this to pass and how greatly we honor today those who are giving of the life in them to enable and equip the lives they are fathering.

There is this great expectation and assurance of safety and peace in the presence of the Lord. There is, however, something most precious about the ominous threatening of an enemy or distressing life predicament. The greater the crises and the louder the threatening shouts, the more intense can be the passionate cry for help. Relationships are established and reestablished with those seen as the source of help in ways that would never otherwise take place as soon as the barrel is empty and defenses are penetrated. Many of the songs from the Psalms and prophecies from the prophets (intense advances in God-awareness) are inspired and motivated by a time of great difficulty. How great and oftentimes essential is the onset of a trial in turning the head and the heart back towards the Source of help and protection?

At the time when Kim and I were first married and living in Broken Arrow, OK, I was working various jobs that required the use of a Datsun diesel pickup. This was a most dependable vehicle in which I logged many, many miles, but owning any vehicle means that at some point there will be some maintenance and repair required if it is to continue getting you down the road. As long as all the meters are at normal and no scary noises or shakes are taking place, everything’s good to go and you just make the frequent stop at the gas station. But, at some point parts wear out and there is just a need for some care. This was indeed the case for me and my Datsun, and while I was able to perform certain levels of auto maintenance and repair, there were many breakdowns that required more expertise and equipment than I had.

This was how I came to know, cry out to, and greatly appreciate John, someone I met at the paper drop for a paper route I had early in the mornings. He had his own garage set up with all the air tools necessary for any job my truck was in need of and a simple inquiry about how to perform some repair more often than not ended up over at John’s with him demonstrating how it was done. A relationship developed because of this dependence that for me was most rewarding for my business, but especially for a friendship with someone who became one of my closest friends during that time. His willingness to help me out whenever I came to him with a need provided many bonding times that otherwise would never have occurred. Not only was he gifted with fixing things, but he also had strong opinions along with an ability to express them and our times together were always informative and stimulating. Although vehicle failure was certainly not something I would look forward to or anxiously anticipate, there was a friendship treasure that came directly from this time that made me incredibly grateful for whatever it took to bring us together.

While there is a knowing of the Father that can take place through every moment, there is something about the times when peril is imminent and something is beyond our means of fixing it that brings us to His side with greatly intensified passion. Rather than somehow feeling separated from Him or compromised in faith towards Him, there is an opportunity in the greatest of attacks to discover a depth of relationship that would have never been developed without the difficulty. If He is but sought out over other acquaintances for the help that only He can provide, there will not only be a resolution to the problem, but an incredible bonding that takes place as a result of the time spent with a focus on Him alone. No matter the period of life we’re going through, it is an opportunity for increasing a relationship with the One who is looking forward to any cry for help with a great desire to not only meet the need, but to also just be there with us through it all. He can be the One who meets us at every awakening with an anticipation of repair and relationship.

Psalms 17:15 CEV

(15) I am innocent, LORD, and I will see your face! When I awake, all I want is to see you as you are.

So it really comes down to what you’re looking for. If you’re looking to get a bunch of junk, then you’re going to end up not only losing all of it, but also your very life. If, on the other hand, you’re looking to lose all of it, including your life, then you’ll end up with a life that eternally lacks for nothing. Looking to lose ends up with discover, while looking to get ends up with the loss of all. Huh?

I don’t know about you, but for me this is most challenging to the natural mind. We’re programmed to think that you have to pursue your goals, and the higher levels of achievement are directly connected to how much stuff you have. All this stuff, in turn, is a direct indicator of just how well you did at seeking those things that now define your success. To not be driven to the stuff-search is to be slothful and without expectation of anything profitable, and there can be no hope of an enjoyable life without seeking it.

There is, indeed, a necessity for diligence and hard work, but until the purpose and the drive that motivates it is given validity and true purpose in kingdom value, any stuff gained will be just like dried grass on a campfire– it may blaze bright for a few moments, but it will quickly die out with no real or lasting contribution to the fire’s purpose. It’s not that we’re supposed to be void of any drive for achievement, but with Jesus there is a motivation found for excellence in all things as each one of those things becomess a means of glorifying God instead of self. There is an endless supply of fuel for our drive’s purpose, the ultimate fire log, just waiting for discovery in the pursuit of the kingdom over any flash of self. Looking to lose one’s self in the quest for this greater treasure will result in so much more than anything self alone could ever attain. Looking to lose, then, must be the drive of the day, as worship of the King brings validity and value to every moment with unlimited expectation and hope, while the search for any other promises the loss of all.

It would seem that nothing in our world today has any permanence or dependability. The companies and businesses that had once been part of our nation’s foundation and stability are falling apart and being bought out by foreign entities. Several years ago I went through the process of getting my securities license in order to sell mutual funds. A strong point in the presentation process for selling many of these products was their history of weathering financial hard times, that they would be there through any difficulties and owning their stock would mean long term growth and security. The car companies were part of this group and it would have never been considered that these rocks of the American economy could not be there at least in our lifetime. Yet, this last week Chrysler has been purchased by Fiat and General Motors is also close to bankruptcy. The indestructible rocks are apparently crumbling under a storm that exposes and attacks a vulnerability that was really there all the time, and while there are other entities that would be still appear secure, nothing in our world today is exempt from this vulnerability. The ground is moving and all things built on these worldly elements are obviously shifting and revealing the weakness of their foundation.

To this atmosphere of uncertainty and fear there is this wonderful word that comes to bring hope of something substantial- ‘abideth’. While there is erosion and removal of all other elements, a rock that is made of an indestructible substance will weather the greatest storm and ‘abide’, remain, and still be something on which you can build a structure throughout a lifetime and beyond. Knowing the true nature of a natural substance beneath the surface is something that can be studied and determined by involved seismic testing and historical reference. There is likewise a proving that has taken place since the beginning of time- storms that have raged and regimes that have been overthrown- and through the greatest of these tests there has been these three elements that have remained after all others have washed away- faith, hope and love. For the one who has established their foundation on the bed-rock, the unshakeable and the immovable, there is great confidence and peace no matter how greatly the storm rages. Sleep can be sweet and rest complete at the very time when the ground is shaking and the thunder is ominous, because there is a knowing that when all else has been beaten down and washed away, there will still ‘abide’ this secure foundation.

There will be an end to all of this. Much will be proven for what it really is and there will be no doubt as to what the true rock is and what has just been sold as secure, but with much vulnerability. Though the shaking is inevitable there is a place of perfect peace for us on the Rock of Ages and as long as the building that takes place in our lives today is a building on faith, hope, and love, there can be an unwavering confidence in the eternal existence and dependability of the One who will abide forever and our permanence in Him.

To have an encounter with someone that is truly great can make a significant life-changing impression, but what makes the encounter even more powerful is when that person changes the way you see yourself and the possibilities for your own life. For this woman at the well there was an immediate offer of water that would cause her to never thirst again. She would then discover that this offer came even while Jesus was aware of her present sinful condition, having had several different husbands and presently living with a man out of wedlock. She became convinced by Jesus’ words that He indeed was the Christ, but what would change her life forever wasn’t just her brush with fame; it was the complete change He brought to the way she would see herself from that day onward. No longer was she just someone who had failed at every relationship and become labeled forever as someone quite far from what a worshiper might be. She herself had conversed with the Christ and from Him she had received validation for who she was and of what she was capable. She had been accepted and respected for who she was in spite of her past sins and present depraved state. She could now see herself as a worshiper of Christ and because of that vision her place at His side was made possible.

It is so great to magnify and exalt our awesome God of power and might and to be overwhelmed and impressed by Him above everything else in life. For that impression to really begin to impact and transform, however, it will need to change how we see ourselves. While a life may or may not be in a depraved state like that of the woman at the well, there will need to be a change of identity and self perspective in order to ever assume the role of a worshiper for which each of us has been formed. Earthly patterns of thinking and a self image formed over years of living in a culture and atmosphere of worldly dominance will completely disable the unlimited potential that has been placed inside with the life that is ours in Christ. For every moment that is driven by worship, though, there is an opportunity for Jesus to make us aware that the spring of living water is actually coming from inside of us, welling up to everlasting life. We are able, each one, to worship the Father in spirit and in truth as we see ourselves as the worshiper we are in Jesus.

I believe those who’ve been involved with the military have a definite advantage over the rest of us. There are certain disciplines learned there that will carry over into many other life disciplines and choices. The commander that Jesus encountered whose son was ill had no problem with understanding the authority Jesus possessed to command his son’s healing. When it comes to the order and the discipline required to follow, execute and anticipate success, these things will only transpire as directions are heeded carefully and quickly.

A book I enjoyed looking at so much as a child was a collection of pictures from my Dad’s experience in the military. He was drafted into the Army just after the Korean War and had to serve for only two years, but during that period of time there were skills gained and disciplines learned that directly affected his later successes both in the military and in his personal life. He learned how to draft and later, when it became necessary to provide plans for church buildings, went ahead and drew them himself. From the order and structure of the Army’s organization he learned to not only follow, but to take others to a place of significance as he provided the necessity of an excellent structure for them, also.  Because of his embrace of a way of leadership that not only empowered him, but those who would follow, there have been countless followers that he has effectively directed to their own experience of passage through the significant provision of a God that just needs a willing heart and a heeded command.

This was a day for the children of Israel very similar to some forty years prior when they were fleeing from the pursuing Egyptians. At that time they were merely following an emotion and a man that had been incredibly impressed by a miracle working God. Since then, however, they had gone through their own experiences with this God and learned the ways of discipline and diligence in making it through their time in the wilderness. Those who had doubted the promise and direction of their God back then had since perished and remaining were only those who would willingly listen to the simple directives of a man who would let them make the advance toward the waters edge that would activate their God’s power. It wouldn’t just be Joshua now, but it would be each one of them with a great expectancy for the power that would follow their faithful obedience.

There are some simple directions from the Word for our steps today. There is a need to rise and follow when the Spirit is seen to be moving, and there is a need to not press beyond the distance that will allow Him to still be seen before us. There will be a need for patience, trust and simple rest in the ability of our Commander and leader. Much can be expected for this day and miracles await the simple adherence to His direction. He will lead to the waters edge where we’ll get to see demonstration of what happens when His Word is followed and His ways embraced.

So what was the significant change to which Jesus referred? What was taking place even then that would authenticate worship as spirit and truth? In this particular instance of the word ‘spirit’, it’s as if there is direct opposition to religious acts and rather an incredible embrace of the heart with God Himself with no dependence upon earthly rituals. What Jesus seems to be saying is that in His presence is the ability to become so impressed with God that it would transform a whole life from one of serving the law to that of serving a relationship with a loving God of mercy.

My brother recently got to see one of our high school coaches that he hadn’t seen for over 20 years. While there were several coaches that were a part of our high school careers in Burlington, this particular one made you stand up a little straighter, talk a little bit different, and for some reason just become much more aware of everything you were doing. He was, and still is, incredibly fit and disciplined in many ways, and all of us guys, and especially the aspiring athletes looked up to him very much. Interestingly, my brother said that after all these years he still inspires that same feeling, that you somehow feel like being on your best behavior around him. He made an incredible impression on many of us that has carried through all these years even though we’ve moved far away and haven’t even made contact for some time.  Something about that relationship with him transformed our perspective on life and set us on a path to pursue excellence in a way we may never have otherwise chosen. While the walk needed to be straight and discipline an important part of life, just the relationship with coach achieved what many rules and lectures might  never have accomplished.

I believe this is similar to what Jesus was referring. Though there are many actions that should be a part of worship to God, He is really only looking for the ones that have come from an impression He has made on our heart and ultimately our conduct through a personal relationship with Him. There will be an authentic spirit of righteousness drawn from His personal presence that will result in uncompromising truth in worship living.

Really the only way we are defeated in the battle against our enemy is when we’re persuaded to take a thought side that is opposite of God’s. Every time a thought is ‘taken’ that is against the thought that God would inspire there is a choice made to take up the side of ignorance and certain failure as opposed to victory, excellence and fulfillment. Even when it could be put into the category of just using ‘wisdom’, until every thought is given to Him in trust and complete surrender, there is a presumption that His way and His thought won’t quite satisfy, fulfill, or just be enough.

The NBA basketball playoffs are on right now, and having grown up in Colorado I can’t help but pull for the Nuggets. They’re definitely up against it right now as they face the Lakers down 3-2 games. They have a player on their team, though, that has made an incredible difference in their chances. He’s a guy they just acquired this year from another team where he had been a part of taking that team all the way through the championship. He had actually played for so long on this other team that he seemed to be a part of its identity. The colors and the jersey of that team along with his number was an established association in basketball. To see him with Denver, having been taken by them in a trade, it certainly seemed a bit odd and out of place until he began to establish his identity there as well, leading them to their best chance at winning a championship. While the team had a pretty talented group of guys, it wasn’t until this leader was taken that they were able to rise to the winning level.

There is a team that wins every time. While the season may be a tough one, there is a certainty that when finals time comes around, not only will they be in it, but they will win it. It’s a team that is made up of thoughts, and only the thoughts that come from above are allowed to be a part of that team. What’s great about these thoughts, though, is that they can be ‘taken’ in a trade, where old failing thoughts and opinions are given up for the thoughts that never fail to produce victory. For the one that once had an identity of losing, where reaching the finals was just a fantasy and illusion, there is ever the possibility for an identity change. Rather than continuing to ‘take’ thoughts of doubt, fear, worry, and failure to the game, it is more than possible to take every thought and let it become captive to the obedience and leadership of the One who wins every time.

Once a new identity is established with those thoughts that are above, it is difficult to see how there could ever be a choice for one of those old loser thoughts. Denver now has a new winning identity with this new player they have taken, so there is a new winning identity just waiting for the right thoughts to be ‘taken’ over the old losing ones.

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV(5)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

I love upgrades, especially the complete makeover ones where the whole appearance and functionality are different and incredibly better. It’s so wonderful how they can just continue to make dramatic improvements on software that is already so useful and user friendly. While there is much anticipation for the new release, there is an even more when it is delayed and the pre-release information makes it seem like you won’t be able to function without it.

The only issue with upgrades and their dramatically altered tools and navigation is that there is a whole new learning curve to endure, where all the new shortcuts and menu items may be located in different places. Many times much of the great power that so much work has been put into to make possible is never realized by the end user who just doesn’t have the time to spend pouring over manuals or even watching tutorials. Though there may never be a full realization of the resident potential, there will still be no less possibility there within their grasp.

Talking about a major upgrade! This ‘worship continually in spirit and in truth’ functionality is the greatest and most expensive software, but on steroids. We’re not talking about just a few minor bug fixes. This isn’t just another plugin or optional addition. This is the whole OS, the complete system and it’s soooo much better than you could even ask or think in its ability to perform and accomplish. This is something that has been talked about throughout all the ages,  but it has become our special privilege to actually experience. It’s here.

Like the software upgrades, though, there will be a need for some major adjustments and alteration of life focus in order for worship to bring the rewards the Father has designed for those He finds worshiping. Because of this, there may never be a majority of people that fully appreciates the power available to them in worship, but it will still ever be available for all those willing to live a transformed life of continual discovery in worship. It’s here.