Category: Reflections Blog

Living Sacrifice Day 7 – The Personal Gift

Justin Hibbard

Begin by reading 1 Corinthians 14:26-33.

If you were to come to my office at work, you would see a drawing hanging up on my bulletin board. It’s no Picasso, but it’s an original artwork of great worth to me. It’s the most precious picture I own because my daughter Annalía drew it. Like any artwork, the value is in who created it, and for me, it’s precious because it’s a gift from my child.

Being a worship leader, sometimes people come up to me after church and say, “Justin, worship was really great today.” I appreciate that, but at the same time, I’m not sure how to take it. “Thanks?” I say, lacking a better response. I guess what perplexes me is what do they mean when they say worship was really great? Does it mean that sometimes the worship isn’t good? Are they talking about the music? What are they talking about?

Here’s what I think. In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” One thing I think he’s urging us to do is to invest ourselves in a service of worship to God. So, when someone says to me, “worship was really good,” I think what they’re saying is effectively, “I worshiped God today, and you helped me do that. You helped me personally bring a gift to the Lord and invest myself in an expression of worship to my Heavenly Father.” It could be that they had a great experience worshiping and someone who was in the same room may not have. What makes the difference isn’t me, the music I chose, or anything else, the difference was them and their attitude. It was meaningful because they wholeheartedly invested themselves in worshiping God.

When we worship, we are bringing that gift to God. This is part of what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 14. We are bringing a piece of ourselves. My daughter could have bought me a picture to hang in my office, but her picture is worth more to me because it’s an expression from her to me.

Take some time today to read 2 Samuel 24:18-25 and reflect on how David insisted on investing personally in his worship of God. We’ll be talking about this passage in a couple of days, but for now, ask yourself, “What does it mean to be personally invested in worship, and how can I be better at doing this?” Don’t be content with watching other people worship around you. Make worshiping God a personal experience where you are totally invested.

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Missed a day? You can find previous devotionals here.

Living Sacrifice Day 6 – Offering, Not an Obligation

Justin Hibbard

A friend of mine once voiced his objection to our Social Security System. “I’m more than happy to give to someone in need; I just hate that our government mandates it and takes it right out of my paycheck!” Sometimes that’s how we can feel if someone mandates even something that’s supposed to be beneficial and helpful. Think about your church for a moment. What if they began mandating offerings? How would you feel? You probably wouldn’t like that.

In Romans 12:1, Paul tells us to offer. He uses the Greek word paristēmi, which means to present or offer. The connotation is that it is a gift, rather than something you are doing out of obligation. Scripture is clear that God wants us to obey out of gratitude rather than obligation. The Law was meant to be a gift not merely a requirement. When we start seeing obedience as requirements, we start acting like children and asking, “How far can I go before being disobedient?” That’s human nature. Being in education, it never fails that when I assign a project, there’s always at least one student that asks, “what’s the least I can do to get an ‘A?’” Something about the word obligated makes us want to rebel, or at the very least, we feel threatened. Aren’t we more at ease when we hear a salesperson say, “You are under no obligation?”

The Holy Spirit is teaching us in Romans 12:1 the importance of offering ourselves. Are we required or obligated? I suppose in some sense we are. But we’re being asked to offer, to do it out of our own volition, not out of a sense of obligation. This is why Paul says, “In light of God’s mercy.” He is explaining that we ought to be so moved by what God has done for us, that we would be willing to give up anything to follow Jesus.

In Scripture, the Temple offering was distinguished between two different words – tithes and offerings. Tithes were the required 10%, but an offering was above and beyond that amount. In one sense, Paul is urging us to forget about the requirement, to pretend that there is no requirement, and instead, give everything as an offering. You may have some sort of sense of what God is asking you to do, but today I want to challenge you to not think that way. I want you to think of how you can bless the Lord with an offering – a voluntary expression of worship. How can you offer yourself to the Lord? Beginning to think of yourself as a gift you offer instead of an obligation you fulfill is an important step to becoming a living sacrifice.

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Missed a day? You can find previous devotionals here.

Living Sacrifice Day 5 – Joyful Worship

Justin Hibbard

One of the greatest hymns of all time is “It is Well with My Soul.” This powerful song was written by a Christian lawyer and real-estate investor from Chicago named Horatio Spafford. He and his wife experienced all sorts of horrendous trauma. First, their youngest of four, their only son, died from illness at the age of four. The Great Chicago fire destroyed everything they had, and so they planned to move to Europe. Horatio’s wife and three daughters set sail ahead of him, while he stayed back to get some things in order. However, during that Atlantic voyage, their boat collided with another and sank rapidly, killing all three of the Spaffords’ daughters. His wife, who survived, made it to Europe and sent a telegram to her husband Horatio with these infamous words – “saved alone.”

Horatio boarded a ship and headed to Europe to grieve with his wife, and as his ship crossed the area where his daughters were lost at sea, he penned these words – “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows, like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”

We still sing that song in our corporate worship services today, even though it is a song born out of horrific sorrow. A misconception about what it means to worship is that we must be happy to worship. Horatio Spafford’s song was a song of lament, a song of surrender, but it was also a song of joy.

How? Happiness and joy are two very different concepts. Happiness is a temporary emotion. Joy is a quality. There are times when I’m not happy because of how I feel or the circumstances going on around me. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The command to rejoice is a call to be joyful. It is a resting in knowing whose you are, not what you’re going through. You have an eternal hold on you by a Living and Everlasting God. You can rest in His arms. Being joyful is a sign of trusting. It’s as Job said in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, still will I trust him.”

We can take a cue from David. Some of the most powerful Psalms were born out of frustration, fear, and sorrow. What makes them joyful and wonderful is that he knew who is daddy was. The fact that he brought iit up to the Lord to begin with shows his reliance and trust on His heavenly Father.

Today, I want you to give it to God. Whatever you’re dealing with, let your Heavenly Father know. Talk to Him about it. Are you frustrated about something at work, something at home, is a relationship worrying you, or do you have great happiness? Share it with the Lord. Talk to Him about it. Rest in the joy of your Everlasting God.

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Missed a day? You can find previous devotionals here.

Living Sacrifice Day 4 – Fake It Until You Feel It

Justin Hibbard

I had a wonderful choir teacher in high school who is well-known and has a reputation for excellence. Part of that comes from the high demands she puts on her choirs. I can remember times in high school where we had three or four concerts in a given week (especially around Christmas time), and on top of that was homework and the emotional baggage that comes with being a teenager. Our director always wanted high energy in our concerts and wanted us to engage with the audience. But so often we were drained and exhausted, and that song that was once inspiring had lost its luster after the 100th time of singing it. Our director wasn’t interested in excuses or settling; she told us, “Fake it until you feel it!”

It seems like a funny expression, but clinical psychologists and behavioral counselors will tell you that it’s a phrase that is often employed. They know that our feelings can often have a negative effect on our behavior and we have to combat those emotions. A friend of mine who struggles with depression was told to discern his feelings. Sometimes they come from God, sometimes they come from the devil, sometimes they come from you. In the Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis suggests that the devil plays on our emotions and feelings for his advantage.

Those who go into the military start off with boot camp, which includes hell week. The military has figured out that the first step to creating a disciplined soldier is not teaching him or her how to use a gun. It’s breaking down the way they’ve done things for the last 18+ years and teaching them how to do it differently. Of course it’s hell! Who wants to get up at 5 AM when they’re used to waking up at 7 AM? Who wants to run and march ten miles when they usually don’t walk one mile in a given day? What’s the military’s response? Do it anyway.

So, fake it until you feel it. I’m not suggesting “faking” worship. But what I am saying is this. Sometimes in my own life I don’t feel like praying or worshiping, but those are the moments I know I need to the most because my heart is far away from the Lord’s. If I were to just give up and say, “I don’t feel like it today,” and I used that excuse every time I didn’t feel like it, can you imagine the spiritual mess I would be?

Sometimes we worship because our feelings motivate us. We are overcome by the goodness of God, and we are inclined to worship. Sometimes, we have to worship in spite of our feelings. If you’re interested in being a living sacrifice, you have to learn to worship at all times. We are told to love the Lord our God. If we express that love only when things are good, then we are bound to have a very distorted view of God and remain childish in our faith.

Sometimes I find that when I don’t feel like worshiping, something as simple as lifting my hand can be a step of faith. I often find that my heart will tend to follow. Take that step today. Worship God in spite of your emotions, meditate on the mercy of God, and let your actions dictate your feelings – not the other way around.

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Missed a day? You can find previous devotionals here.

Living Sacrifice Day 3 – Motivated by Mercy

Justin Hibbard

When you are in a corporate worship service, what motivates you to worship? Is it the music, the lighting ambiance, the people you are with, or your feelings? Let’s be honest, sometimes those things impact our worship, and sometimes we don’t feel like worshiping at all. Sometimes we want to stand there with our hands in our pockets and say, “I’m so tired” or “I can’t wait to take that Sunday nap” or “I can’t wait for the football game.” Our emotions can lead us down some dismal roads.

That’s why worship shouldn’t be motivated by how we feel. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t use our emotions in worship. I’m saying that our emotions shouldn’t dictate when we worship. We shouldn’t wait until we’re in the right environment or have the perfect music to worship. We might be waiting our whole lives.

Paul says in Romans 12:1, “in light of God’s mercy.” In other words, the motivating factor in worship should be God’s goodness. Why? Because it never changes. If our worship depends on our emotions, well, who knows what we might feel like. If it depends on someone’s music, then the music is bound to stop or they might play the wrong note. But God’s mercy, we’re told in Lamentations 3:22-23 “never fail. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.”

We began our 40 day challenge with focusing on who God is and our place in His Kingdom. That’s the important first step. Now, we are beginning to look at how we should act in our Father’s world.

Today, even right now, whether you feel like it or not, close your eyes and tell God how thankful you are for what He’s done for you. Be motivated to do this just by the very fact of what God has done for you. Tell Him how good He is. Let that be the beginning of your worship today.

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Missed a day? You can find previous devotionals here.

Living Sacrifice Day 2 – Know Your Worth

Justin Hibbard

My bank has a neat online feature that shows all my debt, all the money in savings and investments, and it spits out what’s called my net worth.  For me, looking at that number keeps me pretty humble.

What’s your worth?  How are you going to calculate that worth?  Are you going to weigh in what you look like, your personality traits, your features, your degrees, your resume, what you own?  Well, that’s how the world may determine your worth in society, but it’s certainly not how God does.  In 1 Corinthians 6:20, Paul says, “You were bought at a price.”

That price was expensive.  It cost Jesus to get you.  One life was given for another.  God gave up His best to save you from the perils of hell.  Hopefully, you are not numb to those words, even though you may have heard them a thousand times.  You are worth so much to God, and He proved it by what He did for you.  Let’s also be sure to realize that God did not do this because we had some merit worthy of salvation.  No, Romans 5:8 says, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

It isn’t prideful to understand your worth, because your worth doesn’t come from who you are, what you look like, or what you’ve done.  Your worth is found in Christ Jesus.  The day you decided to follow Christ was the day you inherited riches beyond your wildest imagination.

Today, and every morning from now on, look in the mirror and say, “I am a child of the Most High God.”  By doing this you are identifying yourself as a citizen of another world and seeing the great and awesome mercy of God that He has freely given to you. Knowing whose we are is one of the first steps we can take towards being living sacrifices.

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Missed a day? You can find previous devotionals here.

Living Sacrifice Day 1 – Get to Know God

Justin Hibbard

We are beginning a journey – a challenge to be living sacrifices. Where do we start? Well, it’s quite simple, but yet extremely profound. We begin by knowing God. In these next 40 days, we are going to be examining what it means to worship, to be a worshiper, to be a living sacrifice. We ought to begin by knowing who we worship. Paul in Romans 12:1 uses the phrase “pleasing to God.” How can we know what pleases God if we don’t know who He is? This is the first step – get to know God.

When Jesus met with the Samaritan woman at the well, he told her that her people worshiped what they didn’t know. He wasn’t commending their faith; He was criticizing their lack of knowledge of God.

Sometimes we let our preconceived notions and what we think is reasonable dictate what we know about God. Don’t be satisfied by letting me tell you about who God is. Get to know Him yourself. If you haven’t made a commitment to following Jesus, do that today! That is the first step towards being a living sacrifice.

If you’ve made that commitment, then right now spend some time praying and reading Scripture.  Learn about who God is from His Word but also let the Holy Spirit speak to you.  One activity I like to do is to read Scripture (even just a few verses), pray that passage by using some of the phrases I just read to glorify and exalt God. If you don’t know what passage to begin with, let me suggest to you my favorite – Ephesians 1:3-14.  Then just spend time thinking about that passage, mulling it over in your heart and mind and letting the Holy Spirit speak to you about what it says.

Do this every morning for the next 40 days, and you’ll be creating a habit of a living sacrifice by getting to know the Lord.

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The Power of Influence

Justin Hibbard

Reflection

God’s plan for Israel was that they would get rid of everyone living in Canaan, but by the end of Joshua’s life, there remained pockets of Canaanites living among the Jewish people.  Joshua warns Israel not to get involved with them – not to intermarry or to take on their cultures and religions.  In Judges 2, we learn that Israel did exactly what Joshua and the Lord told them not to do.  Because of the people they let influence them, Israel stopped serving the Lord, lost their identity as a holy people to God, and they were never able to win on the battlefield.

In my own life, there have been times where my failure to walk with the Lord can be directly tied to the people I’ve hung around with.  It’s not to say that they are to blame for my lack of spiritual discipline, but it speaks to the power people have of influencing others.  Someone wise once said, “Show me a man’s friends, and I’ll show you his character.”  It is so important to teach our children this lesson, because friends have such a powerful influence.  We must say to them, “Choose friends that you want to emulate, because spending time with them will cause you to be like them.”  At some point, children will make decisions for themselves, and we can only hope and pray that they will adhere our counsel and choose godly friends and a path of following the Lord.

This is also a warning for us adults.  It is a reminder to be careful of the people we spend time with.  The tough part about our “grown-up lives” is that most of the time, we don’t get to choose who we spend time with.  We take jobs where we are surrounded by all sorts of people.  Some have terrible attitudes, foul mouths, licentious behavior, and they live for the drunken stupor they will experience on the weekend and complain about how miserable they feel on Monday.  We must not let their contagious behavior affect us, so therefore, we must be suited with the full armor of God.  Sometimes, we may even need to make the tough choice of leaving jobs infected with such behavior.

Let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in Heaven.  – Matt 5:16

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Prayer

Ask God to help you find godly friends in your workplace.  Ask the Lord to bring people in your life who can have a godly influence on you, and who you can also encourage to walk with God.  Ask the Lord about ways you can be connected to people at church so that relationships can develop and grow stronger.  Pray for strength and wisdom in sharing about the peace you have in Christ.

As for Me and My House

Justin Hibbard

Reflection

In Joshua 24, even at the end of his life, Joshua declares, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”  Certainly Joshua is appealing to the parents standing before him.  He is pleading with them to live lives that follow the Lord and to teach their children who God is, what He has done, and the shalom that comes from walking with God.

There are two temptations that we as parents often face.  First of all, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that “our children will learn on their own.”  Sometimes we may feel awkward about really talking to our kids about the Lord and following Him.  So, it’s easy for us to just think that they’ll pick up on little hints here and there, and that will help them in their decisions to walk with God.  Children need instruction.  They need intentional talks and activities and constant reminders about the omnipresent, loving, and awesome God we serve.  We have an awesome responsibility to teach our children about the Lord.  Whether it’s through verbal teaching, modeling prayer, devotion in our own walks, discipline, forgiveness, or love, children will begin to understand the Lord through the way we present Him and model our relationship with Him.

Secondly, there is a temptation in our day and age to rely on others to raise our children.  People send kids to Christian schools in order to get a Christian education and Sunday School and Children’s Church to learn about the Lord.  Those opportunities are great supplements, but they do not replace the instruction of godly parents.  The person who will have the most profound influence is you as a parent.  No one can teach them how to be a man or woman of God better than you.  And so it is up to us to recognize that awesome responsibility and say like Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Prayer

Take some time to praise God for your children and grandchildren (if you have them) and the children at New Hope Chapel.  Ask God to help you in teaching your children to follow the Lord.  Ask Him to reveal areas in your life where you can be a better witness.  Ask Him for the courage and the wisdom to make a home that follows the Lord.

Choose You This Day

Justin Hibbard

Reflection

In Joshua 23-24, Joshua gives his farewell words to the people of Israel.  He instructs them to follow and love the Lord and not to fellowship with the Canaanite natives still living among them.  In Joshua 24, he says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”  Joshua wants the people to make a decision and not to waffle based on circumstances.

Every day we wake up, we need to make a choice.  Are we going to walk with God or are we going to live for this world?  We all face spiritual battles ahead.  Some are intense struggles that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.  Others are a momentary flare that we have to extinguish.  How will we deal with them?  Will we fall into temptation?  Will we give in?  Will we handle it the way the world would handle it, thereby losing our witness?  Or will we be strong to overcome it and deal with it as the Lord would want?

A good soldier is never caught off guard.  Whether they are going to a scheduled battle or under surprised attack, they are trained on how to react.  Part of our spiritual warfare means waking up and saying, “I will choose to follow you Lord.”  Certainly there’s a moment in our life where we make that initial commitment to follow the Lord.  But in reality, it’s a commitment we need to make every day.

Prayer

Think about the ongoing struggles that you deal with – is there something that keeps coming up?  Maybe something internal, at home or at work?  Ask God to help you with those struggles and to deal with them as He would want.  Spend time with the Lord and listen to His heart, especially in light of those battles.  Thank and praise God for always being there and going before you.