As the World Turns by Dan McDonald

They say that money "makes the world go around." Obviously, by this they mean that without money everything would come to a stand still. This, more than likely, is true because of our love and worship of the green "stuff." Well, maybe, just maybe if we could take our focus off mammon (worldly wealth, riches, and pleasures) and put it on the One who made the "world turn," our worship to God would take on a whole meaning. Hosea prophesied to Israel that they were only interested in worship that would entertain them and give them self-satisfaction. The focus was NOT on God. Wow! Sounds a lot like today's worship, huh?! It's a controversy over sound, instrumentation, specific song usage, or just personal choice. If we could make honoring God a higher priority than our own preferences, I believe our worship would not only be more meaningful to the One who created it, but also to our Christian community as a whole. Psalm 51:17 says that God will NOT reject sacrifices (of praise) from hearts full of humility and contrition. Instead of standing by and watching the world revolve around the unimportant things, let's guard our hearts and magnify the ALL important One...for without a genuine change of heart, our outward acts of worship are simply meaningless!

Keep Pace With God

As a half-marathon runner, I find one of the hardest things to do is just to keep up the pace. There are times when I feel my chest is going to burst, and I just want to stop and puke! But I understand if I rest, making up the time I lost while stopping will be almost impossible. Therefore, no matter how bad my stomach hurts; no matter how bad I want to stop and "catch my breath"; no matter what other people around me are doing, I keep up my (not someone else's) pace and find that in doing so, I reach the finish line - tired, yes, but fulfilled, stronger, and triumphant!

The following is an excerpt from a familiar book. Maybe this will help shed some light on keeping in pace with God. Please enjoy it and...keep up the pace!

"God is a planner, a strategist. He is incredibly organized and has a definite pace. More like a marathon runner than a sprinter, He has our whole lives in mind, not just tomorrow. Remember God is never late. Never try to hurry God. "He that believeth shall not make haste," the Bible says in Isaiah 28:6. Urgent matters are seldom urgent. Pressure usually accompanies us when we are out of God's pace.

Proverbs 16:9 says, 'We should make plans, counting on God to direct us.' Proverbs 16:3 tells us, 'Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.' Cowards never start, and the lukewarm die along the way. God is the original's hope and the copy's excuse. Is God your hope or your excuse?

Adopt the pace of God; His secret is patience. There is no time lost in waiting if you are waiting on the Lord. The road to success runs uphill, so don't expect to break any speed records. All great achievements require time. Happiness is a direction, not a destination.

Abraham Lincoln, during the darkest hours of the Civil War, said in response to the question whether he was sure God was on his side, 'I do not know: I have not thought about that. But I am very anxious to know whether we are on God's side.'

Walking in the pace of God helps establish us on the proper foundation. Nothing is permanent unless it is built on God's will and God's Word. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it" (Ps. 127:1).

Every great person first learned how to obey, whom to obey, and when to obey. A famous anonymous poem says, 'The place I choose, or place I shun, my soul is satisfied with none; but when Thy will directs my way, 'tis equal joy to go or stay.'

God has your whole life in mind when He directs you..."

-John Mason, from the book, You're Born An Original Don't Die A Copy