A Man’s A Man For A’ That

Is there for honest Poverty
That hings his head, an’ a’ that;
The coward slave-we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that.
Our toils obscure an’ a’ that,
The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,
The Man’s the gowd for a’ that.

What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, an’ a that;
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;
A Man’s a Man for a’ that:
For a’ that, and a’ that,
Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that;
The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor,
Is king o’ men for a’ that.

Ye see yon birkie, ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that;
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that:
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
His ribband, star, an’ a’ that:
The man o’ independent mind
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.

A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an’ a’ that;
But an honest man’s abon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their dignities an’ a’ that;
The pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth,
Are higher rank than a’ that.

Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a’ that,)
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man, the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’ that.

Thanks to robertburns.org

“When Jesus was moved with compassion, the ground of all being shook, the source of all life trembled, the heart of all love burst open, and the unfathomable depth of his relentless tenderness was laid bare.”

– Brennan Manning

I belong to You
Forever and ever
I belong to You
Forever and ever
I can’t be lost from the palm of Your hand
Forever You’ll love me
Forever I’ll stand

As a work of Your grace
I’m Yours and I’m thankful right now
If You had not saved me
Where would I be,
But now I am free
All because of You

Nothing can change
Your heart towards me
Seasons may fade
But You’ll always show me
How much You love me

I’m a work of Your grace
I’m Yours and I’m thankful right now
If You had not saved me
Where would I be,
But now I am free
All because of You

– Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience In The Same Direction

Except, worship hasn’t just begun. Worship doesn’t live in musical notes, or set lists, or even in church services. Sure, worship can be found in all those things, but it doesn’t begin there. Worship begins in the hidden places inside a person. Worship begins in the heart.

God has often dealt with people on the issue of surface worship. We all have a tendency to place great worth on the things we do for God. That is good. The Bible tells us that faith leads to action, and without action, it’s questionable if we really do believe. We get off track when our relationship with, and worship of God focusses solely on our actions. God is not only concerned with what we do, but why we do it:

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men…

The truth is that God really desires relationship with you. His passion is to see you understanding His love for you on a relational level. He is not a cosmic boss who demands we put in a certain amount of spiritual hours and work; He is a Father who is heartsick for the return of His children; whose arms are open wide to those who know they need Him. In the safety and shelter of this relationship with God, worship begins. We learn the incredible value of His love for us. We are overwhelmed by the level of care He has for us. We are humbled by the way a Holy God accepts us in our brokenness. We are thankful for the transformation He carefully makes in us.

And worship begins. Praise leaks from our heart while we are driving to work. We become conscious of God’s wisdom when we face a challenge. We cry out to Him when our hearts are sorrowful. We whisper words of thanks when we hold our children. We remember Him when we make decisions. We run to Him in our failure.

And when we step on a stage to lead others, it is not the beginning of worship. It’s simply another moment in a life centered on Him.

- Andrew Murray

I love my kids. I know that may seem obvious, but I do. I think they are adorable and beautiful and amazing. Sometimes I have these perfect little moments where I see how wonderful they are and my heart becomes so full with love for them that I feel it might burst! I know that I am not the first to feel this way about their kids; probably every mom does, but for me, it’s real now.

The reality and certainty of my love for my kids, the affection, the generous praise of them has made me think of how God loves us.

Before I had children, the concept that God could love me was hard to understand; it was elusive. It was a battle to believe that God wanted to love me. I always felt like if I did the wrong thing, God would disown me. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the good girl and do the right thing. When I didn’t, I felt guilty and ashamed that I couldn’t live up to my own expectations. I felt unloveable.

The day my kids were born, something else was born in me too. It grew as the kids grew. It was unconditional love for them. When I look at them, I think, they can’t do anything to make me love them more. And I have my bad days, but at the end of the day, my love for them remains the same, unchanged. I look at them and I am sincerely happy. I am happy that they are here, I am happy to get to see them grow up as time goes by. With each day, I love them more.

When I feel this way about my kids, it’s as if God says, “Remember, I love you this way, and so much more!”

At first, it was like a foreign language, but the more I heard it, the more I began to understand. It became familiar to me. It shifted my way of thinking. This knowledge that God loves me was giving me strength and courage and confidence… something I have lacked all of my life. There’s something encouraging in being loved this way. You feel safe and at peace. In your heart of hearts, you can look at God, no matter what the circumstance may be, and say, “God, I trust you.” It doesn’t mean that I have the answers to problems, but it does mean that I know God will always come through and make things right. He comes to our rescue when we need Him.

I know I will continue to grow in this area all my life, and there are times when, like my kids do with me, I fail to trust my Loving Father. When I fail, it doesn’t mean that He will disown me and stop loving me altogether. I know that I am safe and secure in His love for me, and that He will never leave me, He will never forsake me. I finally believe it.

To all who may need it today, know that God loves you like a Father. You may have had a great dad, or maybe the absence of a dad, or at worse a bad dad. But no matter what has happened in the past with fathers, know that God is always good, and He has always been good to you. God loves you more than words can express. He sent Jesus to die on your behalf so you could be reunited with your Heavenly Father. He loves you with a great love and he wants you to know it. There’s great freedom when you understand of His love for you.

And when at close of crimson nights and frenzied days,
You’ll writhe in darkness and will struggle in a maze
Of demons’ toils, with ashes strewn upon your head,
And lead-shot blood, and quicksand for your feet to tread.
The silent house of God will stand in silent glade.
It will not chide, or blame, or scoff, will not upbraid,
The door will be wide open and light will burn,
And none will beckon you and none repel with stern,
Rebuke. For upon the threshold Love will wait to bless
and heal your bleeding wounds, and soothe your sore distress…

– from Returning, edited by Jonathan Magonet

Well-meaning people tell us that the Christian gospel will put us in charge of life, will bring us happiness and bounty. So we go out and buy a Bible. We adapt, edit, sift, summarize. We then use whatever seems useful and apply it in our circumstances however we see fit. We take charge of the Christian gospel, using it as a toolbox to repair our lives, or as a guidebook for getting what we want, or as an inspirational handbook to enliven a dull day. But we aren’t smart enough to do that; nor can we be trusted to do that. The Holy Spirit is writing us into the revelation, the story of salvation. We find ourselves in the story as followers of Jesus. Jesus calls us to follow him and we obey – or we do not. This is an immense world of God’s salvation that we are entering; we don’t know enough to use or apply anything. Our task is to obey – believingly, trustingly obey. Simply obey in a ‘long obedience.’

 – Eugene Peterson, The Pastor