The Care and Feeding of the Heart: The Reason We’re Here and How the Command and Promise is Transformed into a Life Practice

Welcome to the Training Table where you can depend on a feast for the born-again heart, carefully prepared, to help you run the Godly and good race (Hebrews 12:3).

The Bible’s view of diversity is true and far more workable than the “PC” form of today’s diversity which many folks and institutions ascribe to—that, in far too many cases, does nothing but denigrate, divide, and delight the devil.

The Bible’s “diversity program” says,
1) “All are Sinful and have sinned… “(Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10, 23); but

2) “All are loved by God and can be saved by God’s mercy…” (Psalm 139; 1 John 1:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:8); so that

3) “All can be on mission and work together to make unique yet worthy and unified contributions… (1 Corinthians 12:12; Philippians 2:2); and

4) “All can partake in God’s plan of redemption and the restitution of the world…” (Matthew 5:13-16; Revelation 21-22); but,

5) “All who choose not to participate in God’s only and best plan of redemption, in Christ, [above] will not have their will broken by God; rather, they will spend time living an existentially aimless life, and eternity separated from God in hell.” (Isaiah 66:24; Matthew 10:28; 25:41).

Isn’t this much more aligned with reality and more fulfilling than the week-long, workplace diversity program that promotes differences, ignores differences, and then punishes differences in favor of individual differences?! It’s “all good” until someone brings up a diverse worldview or an idea that’s been deemed offensive, “hate thought”, bullying, “fringe”, “to narrow”, “close-minded”, etc. by the wider PC culture. If we choose to deny reality, the life-fantasy we create to live in is always untenable: It’s just a matter of degree.

Charlton Heston once said, “Political correctness is tyranny with manners.” And it’s grown to be far, far worse since he said that a good while back.

If we could allow ourselves the freedom to believe, to persevere for a time honestly and logically discussing the subject, and test it for just for a little while, Soren Kierkegaard’s observation about humanity and “diversity”, would be much better understood and embraced as a great approach to the individualistic-yet-shared life: “What is most personal is most universal.”

Who Does God’s Bible-Based Love and Truth Include? ONLY ALL, that’s all!

The Bible’s exclusive claims are the most inclusive of all.

Please NOTE above the operative word: “ALL”. All fallen Image Bearers of God: you, me, humanity from beginning to end. All specially ordained, conceived since before time; uniquely created by God; no two alike… And all partaking in this life with one commonality:

The Reason We’re ALL Here!

The Bible tells us that there is a reason ALL of us are here: The Westminster Shorter Catechism. Question: 1. What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

The Bible tells us that ALL humankind either serves Christ or serves the anti-, against-Christ (1 John 2:15-27). Even though this makes perfectly good and common sense—and life is chocked full of a bazillion examples of how our allegiances are either dedicated to one side or the other of any principle or practice—said plainly, this truth claim is very offensive to most people:

Submersed in the fishbowl of a rampantly pluralistic, relativistic culture, any True Truth claim that polarizes people’s thinking is very offensive… If not plainly archaic, idiotic, “judgmental”, and rude! Am I right?

Exclusive truth claims are verboten in the PC world of our day—except for those who advocate that no True Truth exist, right? Evidently, truth claims are allowed by some and not others. What’s up with that?

How did Jesus Christ, The Prince and Costly Price of Peace, say it? Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)

Guard Your Heart! (Proverbs 4:23)

Unless the Sword of God’s True Truth in Christ and by the Spirit is the dividing line between all falsehood and truth within in our heart, no peace, no purpose, or no true and good passion is remotely possible, Beloved. None.* Nada.* Zilch.* Only chaos.* [*Except by God’s Common Grace: Even those set against God can do good, worthy things; but only because all Good can only come from God (James 1:17).]

Devoid of God’s True Truth and Love, life is nothing more than a torturous, nightmarish shell game of hide and seek from God Who sees all… Life then consists of distraction, denial, mostly disillusionment, disintegrated, denigrated, and largely a man- and world-pleasing dickering around… A chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1… and following):

The author of Ecclesiastes drives home the principle and practice:
Life without God can amount to nothing more than hedonism, stoicism, and existentialism.

God’s Image Bearers, you and I, were made for SO much more than this!

THE REASON WE’RE HERE, by Pastor James McDonald, March 28, 2014
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness (Psalm 29:1–2, ESV)

“Some Christians claim worship is more than singing—that making a meal, cleaning the car, helping a neighbor are all acts of worship. When those acts are the outgrowth of our love for God and are done to demonstrate that love, they are worshipful, but technically they are not worship.

The very purpose for our existence is worship. And if we want to accurately embrace that purpose, we need to use a precise definition. Worship is the act of ascribing worth directly to God. Worshipful actions may do this indirectly, but when the Bible commands and commends worship as our highest expression, it is not talking about anything other than the direct, intentional, vertical outpouring of adoration. While that does not have to be set to music, it does have to be direct.

Psalm 29:1–2 defines worship with surgical precision: “Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.” These thoughts are echoed clearly in 1 Chronicles 16 and Psalm 96. Worship involves the mind, emotions, and will engaged in whole-person ascription of worth to the One who is worthy.

Nothing brings glory down in church as quickly and as powerfully as when God’s people unashamedly adore God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Not just a few enthusiasts in the front row when the service starts, but a room packed to the walls with fired-up Christians. Not simply testimony to the personal benefits of believing the gospel, but passionate ascription of worth to the God of the gospel.

A whole body of believers worshiping with their whole beings displays the only thing the church has to offer this world: “For how shall it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people, God? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth” (Exodus 33:16)?

Worship leads to God’s manifest presence. This will be irresistibly attractive or shockingly offensive to a watching world. But the onlookers are not really responding to us; they are responding to God and His call to those He is drawing to Himself. A biblical understanding of worship always involves the Church, but the Church is comprised of individual worshipers.

If you consider yourself an active, engaged, serving member of your church and long to see God display His glory when you gather, then consider how you worship. You can’t expect others to fully engage in ascribing worth to God if you aren’t prepared to do so.

Make time to prepare your heart for worship and pray for your pastor and leaders. Ask God to give you a fresh awareness of who He is that you might ascribe to Him even more of the honor He deserves. Fully expect to meet with the One who is worthy when you worship. He will not disappoint you.”

How is the Command and Promise Transformed into Practice? Can we muster it up? Train ourselves? Grab a New Year’s Resolution? Take a “10 Steps to Ascribing Worth” Course?

Beloved of God in Christ Jesus, there are a handful of things that can transform the command and promise of, Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness (Psalm 29:1–2, ESV) into an everyday practice… a way of life… from dawn to dusk each day… And rippling out into eternity.

Chief among the influencers is, first and foremost, the necessity of seeing the reality of God’s perfection and our sin, heart-broken repentance, and being born again: We must cross the dividing line between lost and saved, non-belief and belief, dead in sin and born again to live, against God and for God, no faith and faith, a heart rock-hard set against God and a heart turned to flesh by the Spirit.

Unless God’s effectual calling, regeneration, repentance, faith, justification occurs with our heart FIRST, all “ascribing to God” can only be about any human being trying to earn God’s favor by our works… Which cannot be done and is a scratching and clawing, striving and disappointing, guilt and shame, comparison-based, envy- and anger-producing, ego-spawning… hell on earth.

Never forget: ALL 3,000+ world religions consist of the impossibility of man creating a bridge to God by works righteousness, rules, “oughts”, and logically ridiculous regimens: An unfathomably imperfect being [all humankind] striving to stand before an utterly perfect and wholly holy God is impossible. Only Biblical / Reformed Christianity provides the Good News of the Gospel: God in His innumerable and manifold mercies made a plan to come down to us [all humankind who would believe] in the form of God’s electing sovereignty, His Son Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, and by the Spirit’s supernatural, heart-changing power.

Please don’t “go there” by saying, “I can’t believe God provided only ONE way!” Do your heart some good by praising Him by saying, “What an awesome God that He provided ANY way at all!” Now we’re getting real…

But after this first and most critical dividing line is crossed, how are we transformed by the command and promise is this: How we treat our trials. If our suffering promotes betterness over bitterness.

Yes, God’s Bible changes us; preaching and teaching; the sacraments; accountability; spiritual disciplines; Christian community; daily repentance; service in Jesus’ name… But how we, in the community of the Spirit and the Saints, redeem the unavoidable suffering involved in living in this fallen and horribly broken world has a HUGE influence on the existence and organic growth for, “Ascribing to the Lord…”

Check it out. Test this with me…

If YOU have experienced a conversion, and YOU have had a taste of significant suffering, and YOU have seen YOU’RE personal suffering answered, comforted, redeemed, and used of God in all sorts of personal and universal ways, YOU will “naturally” [by the Spirit’s help and YOUR cooperation] want to, Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!

And the more our suffering is redeemed, the more Christ-like we become. And Jesus Christ “Ascribed to the Lord…” every moment [and non-moment… outside of time…] of His life.

Read the passages below concerning the treatment of our trials; “test” whether you have experienced God’s redeeming person and plan in the examples; see if, in doing so, your gratitude for God’s mercy wells up in Ascribing to the Lord…!

Romans 5:3-5 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.