a child of god
this is the way, run in it
Undignified?! Yes, that's right. Do you remember when King David was bringing the ark of the covenant of God back to Jerusalem, and he was worshiping with all his might in front of the ark as it made its way back home? David was leading the way, he was dancing and singing and shouting and half-naked - he, the King, humbled himself before God in delight, in praise, in love, with abandon. And his wife, Michal, dissed him for it. She scorned him and did not say, "Well done! What a way to bless our God and His people." No, she didn't say that. And she faced the LORD God's judgement for her heart attitude as a consequence.
And what did David say to her? "It was for the LORD, because He chose me..." (2 Samuel 6:12-23). It was almost like he couldn't believe that she didn't get it. The point I want to make is that David didn't mind looking foolish. He didn't mind being undignified and looking like a lowly person without much clothing on, making a spectacle of himself. Because he was giving all of himself, pouring out his heart and love and gratitude to his God. He abandoned everything, even the dignity due a king, to show how much God meant to him. And it occurred to me, David's actions and heart mirror God's heart toward us. Zephaniah 3:17 is a verse many people love, as it shows God's heart for His people. It says, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." Here we see God with us, His people, He is here with us, and He is like a victorious warrior - for He is our defender, our Redeemer, our rescuer. He exults over us with joy, that means he is showing or feeling triumphant elation or jubilation. Other synonyms for exult are: rejoice, be joyful, be happy, be pleased, be glad, be delighted, be elated, be ecstatic, be euphoric, be overjoyed, be as pleased as Punch, be cock-a-hoop, be jubilant, be rapturous, be in raptures, be transported, be beside oneself with joy, be delirious, be thrilled, jump for joy, be on cloud nine, be walking/treading on air, be in seventh heaven, glory, triumph, be triumphant. God is like that over us! He's noisy about it. He broods over us quietly. He is absorbed with us, His people. This is the heart of God the Father. He's not afraid to be undignified - look at the father of the prodigal son who hitched up his skits and ran down the road to meet the shameful son - he wanted him back. Look at Jesus, who went to the cross for you and me, took on our shame, our sin, for us - so that God the Father could get us back. Jesus endured a lot, out of love for God the Father and for love of us. It's hard to imagine, sometimes. But think about it - if God rejoices over us, sings over us, quietly broods over us, seeks us out, pays for our sins, redeems us, loves us, isn't worried about looking undignified, is not ashamed to call us His own, what about us? what about our heart attitudes? Do we delight ourselves before God? Do we show Him how much He means to us? Are we more worried about our dignity or place of honor/role among others? Do we give God our time - one of the most precious commodities of our day and age? Or do we give all that we are to God, with abandon? Do we rejoice before Him, shout about it, sing about it, give and give and give, not worrying about getting back? Do we show God we love Him? He loves us. So much so He went to the cross for you and me, for the world - totally undignified, but displaying the greatest offering of love the world has ever seen. What a God! I'm so glad He came after me.
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Franci Ballwatching and working for the kingdom of God in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham - UK Archives
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