Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!
The magi brought Him gifts…
The “sinner” bathed His feet in tears and treasure…
The apostles rejoiced to suffer for His sake…
The heavenly host never ceases night and day to shout His praise…
What do we bring such a King? What do we offer the Lamb who was slain?
The angels tell us, in Revelation 5:12, what Jesus deserves:
Power—What authority, influence, and “platform” has God given you? Use it for Jesus.
Wealth—What possessions, capital, assets, skills, abilities, and ideas has God given you? Use them for Jesus.
Wisdom—What experience, intelligence, knowledge, understanding, mental abilities, and will-power has God given you? Use it all for Jesus.
Might—What physical, emotional, and mental strength do you possess, to work, to do, to plan, to listen, to advise, to network, to create, to lift, to carry, and to endure, has God given you? Use it for Jesus.
Honor—What is the condition of your inner-life, your attentiveness, your awareness of Jesus and His worth? What places does the presence of God inhabit in you? What good do you have that God did not give you? Return it all to Jesus.
Glory—What beauty and joy-giving graces has God given you, in your person? What beautiful, delightful gifts has God given to you, treasured in your heart?Send it back to Jesus.
Blessing—What power lies within you? What passion? What do you possess and what possesses you? What do you hope for, for Jesus’ sake? Bless Jesus with it.
Conclusion:
We are called to lay down our life, our lifestyle, our livelihood, our whole living, at the feet of Christ. Because He is worthy of all this and more. Because He is the Lamb who was slain. He is worthy.
If I'm going to give someone my power and wealth, wisdom and might, honor and glory and blessing, that implies that I really like that person. That I am delighted with them. The premise of this entire burst of praise is, first, that we see Jesus clearly; that we see how worthy He is. But second, this worship is premised on the idea that we love Him, that we are so happy with Him, that giving Him all this is no sacrifice, but a joy and even a kind of fulfillment of our selves.
The Great Command of Scripture is not "Know that the Lord your God deserves all the obedience and religious observance that your heart, soul, mind, and strength can muster." No, it's "you shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."
The cry of WORTHY! comes unbidden to the lips of the angels who see Him clearly. They see Him! They love Him! It's love Jesus deserves; it's love that God is after.
My prayer, for this series of devotionals, is that in seeing what Jesus deserves, we will see Him more clearly; and in seeing Jesus more clearly, we will feel towards Him what is right to feel: love. And joy.
And so, in closing: May the worthiness of Jesus feel to you like tumblers falling into place, unlocking passion and emotion and energy you didn't know you had. May the worthiness of Jesus become love for God, from every corner of your life and mine. Amen.
