Holding a Baby
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
It was a typical Sunday morning on my way to worship service at our church. On arriving, one of our young mothers asked me if I would hold her baby while she led worship and her husband served on the tech team. I said, “of course, I will be glad to hold the baby.”
I have to explain that if you ever come to our church, more than likely you will find me on the first row on the right side of the sanctuary. And, if praise and worship have begun (that is the corporate singing), then you will see me with uplifted hands, singing and praising God.
“We must remember that serving in church or in our communities, doing good deeds, and giving of our money, time and talents will not get us to heaven. We cannot work to earn eternal life. ”
But on this particular Sunday, I held this sweet baby, daring not to sing too loud to frighten her. The baby began to get restless and sleepy, so I walked to the back of the church and into the foyer. I sang softly and swayed back and forth with the music, hoping that she would fall asleep. Her momma began to sing the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty…” The thought went through my mind that my worship was different today. No sooner had I thought those words did the Holy Spirit nudge me saying, “but your worship today is every bit as sweet.” As I stood there with tears filling my eyes, the above passage of scripture came to mind.
I was reminded that giving of myself and serving this precious young family was indeed my intense worship to God. I believe that most of us are guilty of falling into a routine or we take on the mindset that our worship to God can only look one way or be one style.
In Romans, the King James Version reads “…reasonable act of service.” However, the New International Version and other versions and translations, say “... a reasonable act of worship.” It is easy to forget that our serving and acts of kindness is worship! God is pleased when we offer ourselves, our time, our gifting/abilities in service to Him.
We must remember that serving in church or in our communities, doing good deeds, and giving of our money, time and talents will not get us to heaven. We cannot work to earn eternal life. Our salvation is a free gift that is obtained only one way – through Jesus Christ. We must believe that He is the Son of God who lived a sinless life and through His death, burial, and resurrection paid the price for our salvation. But! If we live our lives, every single day, as a sacrificial offering to the Lord, it is a sweet act of worship that I believe makes our Father smile. He delights in His children when we worship Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
In The Passion Translation of Colossians 3:17, it sums up exactly what I hope I am conveying and what I desire to be my prayer:
“Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!”
Amen.
Jesus taught the disciples that their worth to God was more than the sparrows – and Jesus said that God does not forget the sparrow. Jesus then went on to say that God knows the number of hairs on each head.