“When you come to
appear before Me, who requires of you that your (unholy feet) trample My
courts? Bring no more offerings of
vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)…” (Isaiah 1:12-13a AMP)
Ouch! How would you like God to tell you this? In Isaiah’s time Judah had gotten far away
from God. Isaiah was warning them in
these first few chapters (1-6) of the judgment coming due to their prevailing
wickedness and worship of idols within the Jerusalem temple itself. They were coming to temple, giving their
offerings and prayers to God then in turn giving offerings and prayers to idols
all in the same visit. How that must
have grieved God’s heart and enraged Him as well. We often do not want to think about God’s
anger and jealousy over us but we must.
“…I cannot endure –
(it is) iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting. Your New Moon festivals and your
(hypocritical) appointed feasts My soul hates.
They are an oppressive burden to Me; I am weary of hearing them.” (Isaiah 1:13b-14 AMP)
When I go to Church,
what are my motives? Do I go to hear a
good sermon? How about some lively and
moving music? Maybe it is First Sunday
and I want to pay my tithe? These are
all reasons and seem good in and among themselves but is that all there is to
it? Why even go, since I can always mail
in my tithe, listen to music on the stereo or a good sermon on the radio? Could it be that I go for the socializing
around other people that think like me?
These are questions that may help me realize just what my motives are,
but there should be just ONE motive to go to Church; I go to worship God.
“You do not know
what you are worshiping (you worship what you do not comprehend)…a time will
come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is
seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those
who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).” (John 4:22a, 23 AMP)
God is a Spirit and
those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in reality, not in ritual
where the body does what appears right but the mind is elsewhere.
“You Pharisees and
teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs
that have been whitewashed. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they
are full of bones and filth.” (Matthew
23:27 CEV)
When we go to church
and are gracious and kind to those around us, sing our songs of praise, give
our tithes and offerings, and listen to and feel a little moved by the sermon,
this is NOT worship. It is ritual. It is all action of the body and soul not
prompted by the spirit. Many believers
worship this way and it is vain, all in vain, for it does not promote
connection with God. He is not the focus
of the worship.
“People judge others
by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their
hearts." (1 Samuel 16:7b ASV)
God knows our inner
motivations. He knows if we are really
worshiping or just “going through the motions”.
No wonder His soul hates hypocritical worship (Isaiah 1:14).
God created us (each
man) as a whole creature, where our body, soul and spirit is intertwined (1
Thessalonians 5:23). What one does
affects the others. True worship
involves the whole creature; your spirit is stirred and connects with Him, your
soul (mind, will, intellect and emotions) follows suit in focusing on Him, then
your body responds by bursting out in praise and song. This is worshiping in spirit and truth
(reality). There is no falsity,
emptiness, vainglory or futility in this worship. He is the focus of the worship.
There is a song I
love to sing. It just thrills my heart
to sing it, especially the verse, “We were created to make His praise
glorious!” I long to do what I was
created to do. I long to worship Him in
spirit and in truth. I long to make His
praise glorious! How about you?
