Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 5-6
Scripture Focus:
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is
better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are
doing evil. (Ecclesiastes 5.1)
Devotional
Thought: Doc Lail, a good friend of mine,
recently loaned me Holy Fire Fell, a
history of worship practices in the Church of the Nazarene by Dirk Ellis. As the author reviewed the changes in worship
style, he expressed our forefathers' concern over narcissistic worship -
worship that is focused on us and our feelings.
Frankly, I think that condition is prevalent in churches and among
Christians today. We have made worship
about us. We want the songs to move our
hearts, the message to meet our needs, even the length of the service to fit
our schedules.
Worshippers in the days of Ecclesiastes
suffered from a similar ailment. They
wanted worship centered around themselves.
The Teacher called it "the sacrifice of fools!" He warned them, "guard your steps when
you go to the house of God." Our
coming is not about getting our felt-needs met, nor is it about offering great
and entertaining worship experiences. We
must "draw near [to God] to listen."
God has something to say to us, but it is hard
for him to get a word in edgewise! We
are too concerned about what we are saying (or singing!) to hear what God is
saying. The Teacher warned against being
rash with our words or hasty with our mouths.
"Let not your mouth lead you into sin... For when words grow many, there is vanity;
but God is the one you must fear " (Ecclesiastes 5.6-7).
We have missed out on the meaning of worship if
it is about what we have to say, or how we feel. We need to guard our steps and our hearts
when we go to the house of God!
Prayer: Jesus, you taught us that the Father desires
worshipers who worship in spirit and truth.
May your Holy Spirit lead us to truly worship you, proclaiming your
majesty and mastery over all!
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