It Really Is All About Him!

It is funny how you can read a passage of scripture or even a single verse a number of times as you read through the bible and then one day it happens-something jumps right off the page and knocks you over. This happened to me just recently. As a matter of fact I read this verse a number of times and it kept knocking me over, so I decided to stay down and see what the fuss was all about. I am currently reading Bob Kauflin’s Worship Matters and it is a profoundly riveting book. He has dedicated this book to his grandsons and in doing so he left them a scripture passage to ponder. I decided to look up this passage in my bible and it reads, “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” (Psalm 71:18 ESV) Kauflin’s premise or proposition is “leading others to encounter the greatness of God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.” In other words, it is not about us, it is about Him. His book is a clarion call to each individual, who participates in what we call worship, to inspire the members of the body of Christ to live for the glory of God. This is my passion; the heartbeat of my life. I desire to lead God’s people to behold a vision of the greatness, the glory, the majesty and the magnificence of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I too, desire God to give me the strength to make known the character and nature of God and His glory to this generation and even to a generation to come. Too many times we gather as a body on the Lord’s Day expecting something to happen to us, for us, with us, or based on us. Since we are such ego-centric beings, we sometimes think, “now that I am here, God can make much of me.” No, no, no, a thousand times no! We gather with grateful hearts to make much of Jesus Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit for His unmerited favor in our salvation and continuing sanctification. Oh, the utter wickedness of those who ignorantly (not judging heart or motive) make much of movies, T. V. clips, jokes, and themselves in pursuit of narcissistic glory. How I have grieved when I have heard people as they were leaving a worship service say to the effect, “I sure didn’t get anything out of that.” They missed it. They missed the greatness, the glory, the majesty, the might, and the power of the one true and living God. Oh, that God would give each of us the strength even when weathered by age to boldly, loudly, and vigorously make conspicuous the character and nature of our God.