Corona Devo 3247
I have been spending some evenings lately making salsa. The Summer weather has produced Summer vegetables, including tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, green peppers, cilantro and garlic. If you combine (any combination) of these harvest items--they create a tasty salsa, which has been a favorite snack/condiment/meal-topping in our home lately.
The first batch of salsa that I made took hours, literally, because it takes time to cut and core tomatoes and to chop peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro. (And we had a hearty harvest of items!). It took time (and love), but my husband and kids enjoyed the salsa-result, and so of course it was worth it.
But when a second bunch of salsa-making-ingredients found its way to my kitchen counter-top to be "processed"...I felt exhausted just thinking about the process.
But then I had an idea.
I got out my food processor, and veggie by veggie, I quickly threw in (almost-whole) items, which took very little time to prep. I pressed "pulse" a few times on the food processor, and then dumped them into my salsa pot. I then added more vegetables, pulsed more, and dumped more.
I made that batch of salsa in no time at all! The "pulsed" batch was of a finer consistency, while my hand-chopped version was finely-chopped but still chunky. But overall: Same volume of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, etc., and same tasty outcome...just so much less time and effort when I used the food processor.
Which way of making salsa is better? Which way tastes better?
My family enjoyed both batches.
I don't think the end-results came out all that different, but modern technology and convenience gave me a quicker route to the finish line with my successive batches.
~~~
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. ~Hebrews 13:8
God doesn't change or morph or adapt or assimilate.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ never changes. And the (Almighty!) God that we worship and seek to serve today is the very same Holy God that Moses sought, and that David dedicated his days to.
We can read the Holy Bible just as St. Augustine, Martin Luther, George Washington, Martin Luther King and Billy Graham did (to name a few).
God's Word does not change, but amazingly(!) and supernaturally(!) it is living and active today (for us), just as it was living and active yesterday for our Brothers and Sisters who walked before us in faith.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ~Hebrews 4:12
The tempos and the instruments may vary.
But we worship Yahweh still...just with modern versions of the same prayers and Scriptures.
Many feathers get ruffled when worship doesn't look or sound the way it did when we were younger, but what does God say, and what are His parameters? Because His worship guidelines should be ours.
- Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ~Psalm 95:1
- My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I whom you have delivered. ~Psalm 71:23
- Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. (2) Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. (3) Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, (4) praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, (5) praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. (6) Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. ~Psalm 150:1-5
- The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, (14) and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. ~2 Chronicles 5:13-15
Our Lord has been honored by His people singing and making music to Him since He created people.
Which ways (and verses and volumes) of making worship songs and sounds are better? Which ways honor Him more?
I can't find those (defining) Scriptures in the Bible, and thus we might possibly deduce that (gasp!) our God enjoys both batches.
If our hearts are centered on God and intent on honoring Him alone, I don't think the end-results in worshiping Him come out all that different. Modern instruments and lyrics and technology may provide a different route to the worship finish line, but if the intention and lyrics seek to glorify God, then might we accept the more recent "batches" as new-fangled...yet worthy?
The Word of God does not change, and nor does His holiness. But people change and times change and generations proceed in faith if we can succeed in preaching the Truth of the Gospel with relevant words, songs, sounds and people. I don't think salvation looks all that different between a sinner one hundred years ago coming to Christ and a sinner today admitting their need for the Lord.
Same sinners, different decades, same tasty (forgiven) outcome.
You might think that it is preposterous that I am not hand-chopping all of my salsa ingredients, like I did for my first batch. Afterall, people who made salsa in the old days didn't have food processors.
Hand-made must taste better.
But, the truth is---each batch tasted great, and I just used different means to get there.
Could the same be true for worship styles, music, church order, and Sunday church-service decorum?
God is the boss on that, and I dare say (in faith) that if we are honoring Him with our hearts, then both and all ways of worshiping Him are acceptable to Him.
“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first.
(9) When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage.
(10) When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.
(11) When they received their pay, they protested to the owner,
(12) ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’
(13) “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? (14) Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you.
(15) Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’
(16) “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” ~Matthew 20:1-16
~~~
Which way to the Lord is best?
The answer is: Yes...as long as we are honoring Him.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (14) I will be found by you,” declares the Lord... ~ me Jeremiah 29:13-14
Blessings,
sarah
https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com
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