Spiritual Success Requires Commitment To Others

"Then God's people were few in number,

and they were strangers in the land.

They went from one nation to another.

But he did not let anyone hurt them;

he warned kings not to harm them.

He said "Don't touch my chosen people

and don't harm my prophet's."

1 Chronicles 16:19-22

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READ 1 Chronicles 15: 1--17:27

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SITUATION David learned from his previous mistake. When they moved the Ark. David and his men carefully followed God's instructions.

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OBSERVATION David's praise filled reception of God's Ark demonstrates genuine spiritual worship. God sowed that he was greatly pleased.

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INSPIRATION Although it is intensely personal, there is nothing self-centered about genuine worship. If believers are to maintain a consistent life-style of continuous worship, they need the fellowship of other believers as they assemble for group worship and corporate worship feed each other. So on the one hand, I need the fellowship of the saints. On the other hand, the community of saints needs me to live a consistent life of worship.

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The source of most of the problems people have in their Christian lives relates to two things: either they are not worshiping six days a week with their life, or they are not worshiping one day a week with the assembly of the saints. We need both.

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If you go to church only when it is convenient, you will never be victorious and productive as a Christian. You can't succeed on your own; you need to have the spiritual stimulation of fellow believers. We live in such an easy-come, easy-go, casual, flippant society that people don't make consistent, faithful commitments, and then they wonder why they fail. The answer is clear.

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Spiritual success requires commitment to others . . .

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A pastor went to see a man who didn't attend church faithfully. The man was sitting before a fire, watching the warm glow of the coals. It as a cold winter day, but the coals were red hot, and the fire was warm. The pastor pleaded with the man to be more faithful in meeting with the people of God, but the man didn't seem to be getting the message.

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So the pastor took the tongs beside the fireplace, pulled open the screen, and reached in and began to separate all the coals. When none of the coals was touching the others, he stood and watched in silence in a matter of moments, they were all cold. "That's what's happening in your life," he told the man. "As soon as you isolate yourself from God's people, the fire goes out." The man got the message.

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The church is not the brick-and-mortar building in which the assembly meets, it is God's people in whom He dwells. In the church -- among God's people, the true worshipers -- we must bring a worshiping HEART to stimulate others while being stimulated to love and good works. As that stimulation affects our souls we do good and share. The cycle is complete when we live out the overflow of praise and a continual heart of thanksgiving. Then worship is a way of life. For that we are redeemed. (From The Ultimate Priority by John MacArthur, Jr.)

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EXPLORATION Attitude of Worship -- 1 Chronicles 29:0, Psalm 27:4; 51:16-17; 84:1-3; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1; Philippians 3:3; Hebrews 10:1-10.

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Don't you just love the story

of the pastor and coals in the fire?

I sure do!

This music video actually made me cry.