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As believers, we are called to be living stones, built up into a spiritual house to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). The song “Altar (Here On Earth)” by Neon Feather reminds us of this call and encourages us to make our lives an altar to display our love for God through worship.
Imagine an altar, a place where we come to offer ourselves to God, to lay down our burdens, to worship Him and to receive from Him. As believers, we are called to make our lives an altar, a place where we can offer ourselves to God in worship and adoration.
Just like the Living stones (Lithops spp.), which require intentional care and watering to thrive, we too must be intentional in our spiritual growth, storing up God’s truth and grace in our hearts so that we can offer true worship to Him.
The song “Altar (Here On Earth)” reminds us of the importance of making our lives an altar to God, where we can offer Him our hearts, our devotion, and our worship. The lyrics say, “Here on earth, we make this holy ground, We offer up our lives, let Your love come down.” We can make our lives an altar to God by offering Him our praise, our thanksgiving, and our service.
Henri Nouwen’s sermon “Being the Beloved” can also be applied to making our lives an altar to God. Just as living stones require intentional care and watering to thrive, so too must individuals be intentional in their spiritual growth and in recognizing their identity as the beloved of God. By cultivating a sense of inner strength and resilience through their identity as the beloved, individuals can offer themselves to God in true worship, just as Jesus did by offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
Additionally, Nouwen’s concept of “taking, breaking, and blessing” can also be applied to making our lives an altar to God. By taking, breaking, and blessing, individuals can offer their hearts, their devotion, and their worship to God in spirit and in truth, just as the song “Altar (Here On Earth)” suggests.
In essence, making our lives an altar to God involves recognizing and accepting our identity as the beloved of God, intentionally nurturing our spiritual growth, and offering ourselves to God in worship and service. By doing so, we can cultivate a deeper relationship with God and display our love for Him through our lives. Like the Living stones, we must be intentional in our spiritual growth, storing up God’s truth and grace in our hearts. May we offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God, making our lives an altar to Him, where His love can come down and transform us.
In closing, let us remember that the reason we make our lives an altar to God, the reason we cultivate a deeper relationship with Him and offer ourselves to Him in worship and service, is because of who He is and what He has done for us. As Phil Wickham sings in “Reason I Sing”:
“You are the reason I sing You are the reason I worship You are the reason I live You are the reason I’m alive”
Let us never forget that God is the reason we sing, worship, live, and are alive. He is the source of our salvation, the giver of every good and perfect gift, and the One who sustains us in all things. May we offer our lives as a living sacrifice to Him, making our lives an altar of love and gratitude, and may His name be praised forevermore.
