Today is the day where many of us are headed to our zones to be a part of church gatherings. Our time will be divided between Bible classes and what we call church. I cheer you on today to conscientiously praise God in this process.
The reason that I bring this most fundamental concept to your attention is that I didn't think about giving attention to God...for years...as a minister. No. I was about getting things done; Sunday production. Classes prepared. Sermons assembled. Servants in their designated spots. You get the idea. Details had become my habitual god. I was claiming to worship when what I was really doing was worshiping worship.
Such rote movement eventually developed into an arthritis of the spirit called emptiness. This is why so many of our very good people finally abandon the church. To keep one active, connected, and happy without concentrated glory toward God eventually finds that such movement evaporates.
One of the strongest matters God has taught me is to tell Him Thank You repeatedly throughout each day. It isn't my accomplishment that draws credit. It is His. It isn't our works that are to be praised. It is His.
Faith it vital here. Christianity based upon sight--tangible experiences we can program and calculate--will fade because the true winning mode is the thread that we cannot see known as faith. Praying for what isn't yet, but can become, is faith. Giving dollars, believing God will provide better than our money would have supplied, is faith. Forgiving one who does not deserve such favor from you....is faith. Believing God has forgiven us when we are baptized into Jesus...is more faith.
It is within this realm that we learn to praise God for our lives are dependent upon His provision; not our careful calculatory managerial application. We praise the invisible God for matters for which we strongly hope; while having no substantial verification that such will come about. We praise God because He knows Life and we want to experience the higher realm of it.
As we worship today, may we relinquish going through the motions of putting in our time. This habitual procedure kills hearts...our hearts...our children's hearts. May we come out with our driven appreciation toward Him publicly. May we robustly give God credit, praise, and honor...from our voices.
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