Living With A Fire Devotional - Jesus CultureSample

Be Crowned - Bryan Torwalt

I remember the first time that I lead the song Be Crowned at our church.  For me it felt like a moment of clarity, kind of like a re-alignment in my spirit and mind.  That moment when we do everything we can to push both the good and the bad from the week aside and glorify God in worship.  The ability to keep God in the forefront through the highs and lows of life is something that will affect every aspect of our life.  From relationships, family, work, our struggles and our success, when we’re able to bring Him our whole hearts and lives in all we do, it changes everything.  

Something that we see throughout the Gospels and the life of Jesus, is that he was going to the Father continuously, and giving him Glory in everything that He was doing.  We see him pull away and go to the Father in the hard moments like the Garden of Gethsemane, but I find it so interesting that we see Jesus going to the Father a lot after all the moments that to us look like success.  After huge miracles of multiplying food for thousands, after performing miracles and teaching the crowds of people, he would go to the Father.  Everything Jesus did, He wanted it to point to the Father and give Him Glory. 

When I’m an old man and look back at my life, I hope that I see someone that was able to go to God, not only in the low moments of life with prayers of desperation, but in the high joyful moments of life as well.  Filled with praise and thankfulness.  I hope that I see someone who continuously went to the Father for approval and connection, and didn’t reach for the approval of man in any amount of success that I had.  I pray that the people I encountered through my life would in some way encounter God and see Him a little more clearly.

The 17th chapter of John is a beautiful prayer that Jesus prays towards the end of His life.  A moment of reflection and giving everything back to the Father.  In everything we do, lets bring honor and glory to God, and go to him in the the highs and lows to know him more fully and deeply.