The King Who Could Not Stop the Sea
King Canute was once ruler of England. The
members of his court were continually full of flattery. “You are the greatest
man that ever lived…You are the most powerful king of all…Your highness, there
is nothing you cannot do, nothing in this world dares disobey you.”
The king was a wise man and he grew tired
such foolish speeches. One day as he was walking by the seashore Canute decided
to teach them a lesson.
“So you say I am the greatest man in the
world?” he asked them.
“O king,” they cried, “there never has been
anyone as mighty as you, and there never be anyone so great, ever again!”
“And you say all things obey me?” Canute
asked.
“Yes sire” they said. “The world bows
before you, and gives you honour.”
“I see,” the king answered. “In that case,
bring me my chair, and place it down by the water.”
The servants scrambled to carry Canute’s
royal chair over the sands. At his direction they placed it right at the
water’s edge.
The King sat down and looked out at the
ocean. “I notice the tide is coming in. Do you think it will stop if I give the
command?”
“Give the order, O great king, and it will
obey,” cried his entourage
“Sea,” cried Canute, “I command you to come
no further! Do not dare touch my feet!”
He waited a moment, and a wave rushed up
the sand and lapped at his feet.
“How dare you!” Canute shouted. “Ocean,
turn back now! I have ordered you to retreat before me, and now you must obey!
Go back!”
In came another wave lapping at the king’s
feet. Canute remained on his throne throughout the day, screaming at the waves
to stop. Yet in they came anyway, until the seat of the throne was covered with
water.
Finally Canute turned to his entourage and
said, “It seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe.
Perhaps now you will remember there is only one King who is all-powerful, and
it is he who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand. I
suggest you reserve your praises for him.”
The Visitor Who Never Returned to Church
A high school girl wrote the following
letter to a friend:
I attended your church yesterday. Although you had invited me, you were not there. I looked for you, hoping to sit with you. I sat alone. A stranger, I wanted to sit near the back of the church but those rows were all packed with regular attenders.
An usher took me to the
front. I felt as though I was on parade.
During the singing of the hymns I was surprised to note that some of the church people weren’t singing. Between their sighs and yawns, they just stared into space. Three of the kids that I had respected on campus were whispering to one another throughout the whole service. Another girl was giggling. I really didn’t expect that in your church.
The pastor’s sermon was very interesting, although some members of the choir didn’t seem to think so. They looked bored and restless. One kept smiling at someone in the congregation. There were several people who left and then came back during the sermon.
I thought, “How rude!” I could hear the constant shuffling
of feet and doors opening and closing.
The pastor spoke about the reality of
faith. The message got to me and I made up my mind to speak to someone about it
after the service. But utter chaos reigned after the benediction.
I said good morning to one couple, but
their response was less than cordial. I looked for some teens with whom I could
discuss the sermon, but they were all huddled in a corner talking about the
newest music group.
My parents don’t go to church. I came alone
yesterday hoping to find a place to truly worship and feel some love. I’m
sorry, but I didn’t find it in your church. I won’t be back.
Source: Author unknown
Whale Songs
According to research conducted by the
National Geographic Society, the 40-ton creation of God-the humpback whale-has
a fascinating singing ability.
Recordings have been made of the humpback
whale singing in various pitches in solos, duets, trios, and choruses of dozens
of interweaving voices lasting from six to thirty minutes.
What an experience it is to hear, over
one’s own stereo system, songs from the ocean depths sung by 40-ton whales! The
passage of Psalm 148:7 comes to mind: “Praise Him down here on earth you
creatures of the ocean depths.”
Worship Is Setting Your Sails for the Storm
A small boy asked an aged sailor, “What is
the wind?” The old man replied, “I don’t know, son; I can’t tell you what the
wind is, but I can tell you how to hoist a sail.”
It is not really necessary to know all
about the wind if we know how to set our sails. We simply make them ready, and
let the wind come.
This is what we are doing in a worship service-setting
our sails for whatever gale the tomorrows may bring. Here, as it were, we
adjust the wind-catching paraphernalia of our lives. Then we will be ready for
life’s gentle zephyrs or its howling storms.
Here we align ourselves, set ourselves right
with reality, and then, whatever winds may blow, we can receive their forward-thrusting
force and sail on.
Would You Kneel Before the King?
Noblemen were gathered together in London
waiting for the King of Great Britain. They all knew him personally, yet they
all honored him as their king. When he entered, they stood solemnly to their
feet. “Take your seats, gentlemen,” he said, “I count you as my personal
friends.”
And then joking he added, “I am not the Lord,
you know!” Immediately one of the noblemen, a Christian, said, “No, sir, if you
were our Lord, we would not have stood to our feet; we would have fallen to our
knees.”
The One Note That Tuned a Soul
A sheep rancher in the remote mountains of
Idaho found that his violin was out of tune, and, try as he would, he was
unable to make the instrument sound the way it should.
A frequent listener to a radio station in
California, he wrote the station concerning his problem, asking these good
people at a certain hour and minute on a certain day to strike the right note
for him.
This they did: stopping everything else,
silencing all other sounds for a moment, they struck that note. In his
shepherd’s hut in the distant mountains, the shepherd heard that sound, and
from that single note he put his instrument into tune again.
Thus is the hour of worship, a special time
of being in touch with God. Here we listen for the signal-tone He strikes for
our lives, for the pitch He gives by which our hearts may be put in tune.
Can You Sing These Words Honestly?
The late Dr. Peter Marshall once selected
for use in a church service the familiar hymn of consecration, “Take My Life
and Let It Be.” He requested the congregation to give particular thought to the
words:
“Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite
would I withhold.”
Exacting the practical sense of the words
“not a mite would I withhold,”
he asked that all who could not sing this
line with literal sincerity, refrain from singing it at all.
The effect was a dramatic commentary on the
glib, thoughtless manner in which, all too often, we sing our hymns. Hundreds
of voices, with organ accompaniment, sang vigorously up to the designated
point.
Then, suddenly, there was only the sound of
the organ music. Not a single voice ventured to so challenging a height!
Did You Come to Worship God—or the Preacher?
Henry Ward Beecher, the famous pulpit
orator, once had to be absent and his brother was invited to speak for him. The
church house was crowded, but when it became evident the eloquent Henry Beecher
was not going to appear, many started to leave. Beecher’s brother was not
disturbed.
He stood up before the murmuring crowd,
called for silence and said, “All who came this morning to worship Henry W.
Beecher may now leave. The rest will remain and worship God.”
What are we doing in our assemblies? Some,
like the Athenians, come only to hear the preacher say “something” (Act
17:20-21). “Is it relevant?” “Is it
positive?” Are mental guidelines used in judging sermons? Some attend to judge
the singing, the prayers, or the friendliness of the
congregation. These go away with a host of
criticisms, perhaps, or even pride, but worship has been forgotten. Why do we
gather for worship? Some come to “get it over with for a
week”; to get their tickets validated once
more. But those who come because they need strength in carrying their crosses
know the value of true worship.
Worship has nothing to do with the song
leader or the talent of the preacher. It has to do with you and your God. Let
people do what they will to please themselves. “The rest will remain and
worship God.”
Worship Helps You Find Your Way Again
In the old days of ocean sailing, a small
boy was traveling on shipboard with his father. About once a day the boy saw
the captain stand on deck with sextant in hand, and, as they used to say,
“shoot the stars.” The boy said to his father, “Daddy, what is the captain
doing?”
His father replied,“The captain is taking
our bearings, seeing where we are, finding out if we are going in the right
direction.”
As a matter of fact, it is something of
this kind that each of us is doing as we are in worship on Sunday morning. We
are checking in with God; we are seeing where we are; we are finding out about
our directions in relation to His will concerning our journey of life.
We can so easily become confused or lose our way out there in the weekday world of days, and we need this checkpoint.
Here we touch base with the Lord of our life, and from Him we take our bearings
for going on. We can deviate from the course and by winds and currents be
carried far astray, unless from time to time we check in with God to set our
course again.
The Importance of Worship
Worship that is accepted by God is a
privilege unique to the Christian (1Pe_2:5). It is not a right. I am permitted
to offer acceptable worship only by the grace of God.
Therefore it is disheartening when children
of God deliberately reject this privilege and wantonly absent themselves from
the public assembly God has ordained for His glory and our good.
Consider briefly the significance of
worship:
It is obedience to a divine command.
It is a means of nourishing the spirit.
It assists in achieving spiritual growth.
It encourages others in their spiritual
development.
It shows the world where my priorities are.
It is one means of expressing my love for
God.
It is an avenue God has provided by which I
can praise His name.
It is the offering of spiritual sacrifices.
It is a way of showing my thanksgiving to God for all He has done for me.
It is a period of communion with God with
the world shut out entirely.
It is an experience that should make the
heart of every Christian glad!
Will you join your fellow Christians this Lord’s Day as they assemble to honor His name? Your Father will be looking for you.