True Worship of God

Review of "True Worship of God"

Northeast Church of Christ

By Carl Lungstrum

     The sermon this Sunday morning made me think of one of my previous posts, "Training vs. Trying".  As Christians we are to live every day for Christ, and when is comes to worship, God has commanded specifics on how to worship him. He has told us what he likes, and what he doesn't like. 

     Often, people get the idea that they can worship God however they find fitting, and that merely giving just enough to make God happy is okay. God wants our full attention, and the sincerity of our hearts though. He wants us to put our all, our every moment, into worshiping, and pleasing Him. We should have the desire to get to know him. I remember when I was first interested in my husband, I wanted to know EVERYTHING about him. I wanted to talk with him 24/7. I wanted to please him, and be good for him because I dearly loved him. We should treat God the same way. We should WANT to know everything about him. We should want to pray, and simply talk with him every chance we get. We should do our best to please him and honor him, not just put enough effort into him to not feel guilty. 

      Isaiah 1:10-17 "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah.  “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams nd the fat of fed cattle; 

and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.  “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.Cease to do evil,  learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
     This passage really speaks to me. It is talking about people who put on their Sabbath vest, but outside of Church, they are defiled, and worldly. It reminds me of those who believe that once they are saved, they are always saved, even if they fall away or do not live for God. I consider this passage to be a significant rebuttal against that belief. In the passage, God makes it clear that it is not okay to worship in a way that is pleasing to us. He is not okay with us worshiping any way we want to. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul worshiped in a way that was so displeasing to God, that he appointed a new ruler of his people.     

     1 Samuel 13:8-14 "Now he (Saul) waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.  So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.  As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord. So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 

     Point is, we need to worship the Lord the way he has commanded us to. Reading the scriptures, praying, living for Him, merely talking with Him, setting an example, being involved with fellow believers, being part of the Church, and doing what we can to strengthen it is all ways we can worship the Lord. God just wants our full attention; the sincerity of our hearts.