Worshipping God as Love Changes Our Perspective
Throughout Scripture, we see a God who deeply loves us.
Within God’s covenant relationship with the Israelites, the Lord says, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed" (Isaiah 54:10).
The Psalmist says in Psalm 86:15, “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” And in Psalm 136:26, “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”
In fact, John says in 1 John 4:7-8 that God is love. His ultimate expression of love was to send Jesus, His only son, to live among sinful humanity and to ultimately die for our sins.
What happens when we truly, from deep down in our hearts, worship God as the One who loves us with a deep, unending love – an unconditional love that forgives, comforts, restores, guides, and empowers. A love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres - a love that never fails.
Wow! God loves us with that kind of love. You see, as we grow in our worship of God, the reality of who He is sinks deeper into our minds and hearts. We are changed by the knowledge of who God is as it moves beyond a cognitive acknowledgement to a heartfelt conviction.
God’s love says that you and I are completely, unconditionally, irrevocably accepted by God.
Now, how does that knowledge influence the way we live and lead?
Let’s take a look at a story from John 13. In this story, Jesus did the unthinkable…again.
It was just another normal meal until he started taking off his outer clothing. The disciples didn’t know what to think. He had surprised them before, but this was different.
With utter amazement, the disciples watched Jesus take a water basin and wrap a towel around his waist. No, he couldn’t possibly…but he did. He began to wash the disciple’s feet.
Jesus, a rabbi and teacher, did what no self-respecting religious leader would do; he did the work of a servant.
Two questions come to my mind as a think about Jesus’ actions. The first one is: why did he do it?
In John 13:14-15, Jesus clearly states his purpose for washing the disciple’s feet. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
When I started out in pastoral ministry, I offered to clean the washrooms in the church. Now, before you start thinking more highly of me than you should, the main reason I took the job was to make some money so that I could buy an engagement ring (and by the way, that worked out really well). Yet, in the process, I acquired more than just some extra money; I learned some things about serving others.
We may not regularly wash peoples’ feet anymore. Yet, we can humbly serve others in many ways. It’s simply seeing a need and doing what we can to meet that need.
The second question that jumps out to me as I think about Jesus’ actions is: how was he able to serve in such a humble way?
In the story, we see that Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power. He knew that he had come from God and that he was returning to God. Jesus knew who he was. He could serve humbly and sacrificially because his identity was secure. He had nothing to lose.
As followers of Jesus, we know who we are. Our loving heavenly Father has forgiven our past. Our present is in His hands. We have incredible hope for the future. We can serve others because we have already gained everything in Christ. We have nothing to lose.
When I was first ordained as a pastor, I received two items. The first one was a lovely, framed certificate. It was beautiful and yet the second item was what caught my attention and my heart. It was a towel – a vivid reminder of the kind of servant leadership that Jesus modeled and desires of us. I still have that towel hanging in my office as an ongoing reminder that Jesus calls us to be servants of the towel.
I can serve others out of relational place of unconditional love. It doesn’t matter what others think; I’m deeply loved by the One who holds my heart.
You see, when we worship God as the One who loves and who, in fact, is love, we know that He is faithful. No matter what happens today, God will stand with us. Even though we may not sense His presence or hear His voice in every situation, we know that His love never ends. It never fails. Even as Jesus ascended into heaven, he said to his disciples, “I am with you always.” No one can snatch us out of our loving Father’s hands.
As leaders, we sometimes face difficulties and challenges. People may hurt us and even betray us. Leadership can be painful and lonely. Yet, in the midst of it all, our heavenly Daddy wraps His loving arms around us and says, “I love you so much! You are mine, always. I will watch over you. I will help you every step of the way. I am for you, always.”
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:14, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” When we worship our loving God, we’re reminded of His love. We enter into His love and sometimes even grow in our understanding and acceptance of God’s love. As we rest in God’s love, His love compels us to love others in the same way and to help them know how they, too, can enter fully into His love.
Worshipping God as love changes our perspective.
Blogs in the Worship Changes Our Perspective Series
Note: MinistryLift Members can also watch video versions of the blogs (the first one is open to everyone).
- Worship Changes Our Perspective | Blog | Free Video
- Worshipping God as Sovereign Changes Our Perspective | Blog | Video
- Worshipping God as Love Changes Our Perspective | Blog | Video
- Worshipping God as Wise Changes Our Perspective | Blog | Video
- Worshipping God as Good Changes Our Perspective | Blog | Video
- Worshipping God as Just Changes Our Perspective | Blog | Video
- Worshipping God as Faithful Changes Our Perspective | Blog | Video
- Growing in Our Worship of God | Blog | Video