Today is Tuesday. Sunday (The Christian Sabbath) is still several days away. However, I suggest now is the time to begin preparing for being in God’s House this weekend. Remember this… Sunday is a reflection of how you have lived and walked the previous Monday through Saturday.
If you want the worship to be meaningful… the message to be substantive… to encounter God and know Him better, then take steps toward that end. I say that because most people take more time to prepare for a birthday party, date, or attending an athletic event than they do going to worship Jehovah God. Consider Isaiah 1:11-15…
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Here’s the point. A life lived in disobedience to God will prohibit encountering Him in worship on Sunday. A life lived that honors self above God results in Him rejecting prayer requests. In other words… how we live Monday through Saturday has great bearing on our experience in worship on Sunday! Let that sink in…
Thus… in order to prepare for worship… consider the follwoing Monday through Saturday:
Treat others as you would have them treat you…
Love, honor, and respect your spouse. Encourage your children and bless them daily…
Do not steal time or goods from your employer…
Be honest in all your dealings with all people all the time…
On dates, keep yourself pure and respect the person you are with…
Keep your mind and heart pure by not dwelling on sin or sinful practices…
Honor God in all things, at all times, with all people…
Show love to all people, regardless of how they treat you…
On Saturday night… pray for your pastor, for God to speak through him, then go to church on Sunday morning listening for God’s voice.
Our life, how we conduct ourselves, is worship. Not only that, it directly effects our encounter with God in corporate worship. My somewhat educated guess is that as we honor God and prepare for worship, God will manifest Himself in worship in powerful ways. Try it. After all, as it is written…
Romans 12:1-2, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
I love getting together with friends and family on Sundays and pouring my heart out to God. It is one of the best times in my week. I feel the presence of God there in a special way. He is our audience, and as our praise flows, He smiles. It’s not that He is in need of anything like my worship, but it’s cool that He loves seeing me worship Him.
I also like the Romans 12:1 passage. It teaches us that worship is an everyday, presentation of myself to Him. That is both comforting and challenging to me.
You make some very good points Keith. I just think too many people come to be entertained (By the music and/or the message). I think they blame the preacher for not having a “good” message when the previous week they lived in rebellion. Blessings…