Empty Worship
Reading: Isaiah 1
My Verse: “ Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility); [your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure—[it is] iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting" (Isaiah 1:13).
Oh, LORD God, how we must try You! You want our all - nothing less! You tell us in Matthew 22:37. "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." How often do I approach You hurriedly and carelessly - making my selfish demands? How often do I just go through the motions and offer up only empty worship?
You plead with us to "bring no more offerings of vanity." You don't want us just going through the motions of worship as if to appease You! You don't want our pious pretensions! You don't want us to be doing "works" that we can then boast of! All that is futile, it is vapor - vanity.
You, LORD God, say; "[your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to me." No one can do enough good to get themselves into heaven! So many try! So many believe that they can! But You tell us very clearly. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). You, LORD God say " . . . for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
"The New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure . . ." How many churches have succumbed to practices to appeal to the young? How many have put aside Your Holy Truth to accept and take on currently popular beliefs, practices and philosophies that contradict Your precepts? Oh, LORD God, You call us to be the "salt" of the earth. (Matthew 5:13). You call us to be "set apart." (Romans 12:2)
So much worship is mere religion. Religion that is a following after devotional and ritual observances - Like the religion of the Pharisees, considered the most religious of their day, and highly respected. Yet Jesus said of them: ""Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27).
Jesus went on to say:
"'This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9).
Oh, LORD God. I pray that I not lose sight of Who You truly are - the awesome, holy majestic creator God of all that is! I pray each day I come to You in all humility that I not end up in empty worship.
"Neither asceticism, nor vigils
Nor any manner of suffering can save,
Only genuine,humility will serve."
-Mother Theodora of Egypt
(C. 340-c. 410)
From Love's Immensity by Scott Cairns
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
Reading: Isaiah 1
My Verse: “ Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility); [your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure—[it is] iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting" (Isaiah 1:13).
Oh, LORD God, how we must try You! You want our all - nothing less! You tell us in Matthew 22:37. "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." How often do I approach You hurriedly and carelessly - making my selfish demands? How often do I just go through the motions and offer up only empty worship?
You plead with us to "bring no more offerings of vanity." You don't want us just going through the motions of worship as if to appease You! You don't want our pious pretensions! You don't want us to be doing "works" that we can then boast of! All that is futile, it is vapor - vanity.
You, LORD God, say; "[your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to me." No one can do enough good to get themselves into heaven! So many try! So many believe that they can! But You tell us very clearly. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). You, LORD God say " . . . for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
"The New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure . . ." How many churches have succumbed to practices to appeal to the young? How many have put aside Your Holy Truth to accept and take on currently popular beliefs, practices and philosophies that contradict Your precepts? Oh, LORD God, You call us to be the "salt" of the earth. (Matthew 5:13). You call us to be "set apart." (Romans 12:2)
So much worship is mere religion. Religion that is a following after devotional and ritual observances - Like the religion of the Pharisees, considered the most religious of their day, and highly respected. Yet Jesus said of them: ""Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27).
Jesus went on to say:
"'This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9).
Oh, LORD God. I pray that I not lose sight of Who You truly are - the awesome, holy majestic creator God of all that is! I pray each day I come to You in all humility that I not end up in empty worship.
"Neither asceticism, nor vigils
Nor any manner of suffering can save,
Only genuine,humility will serve."
-Mother Theodora of Egypt
(C. 340-c. 410)
From Love's Immensity by Scott Cairns
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
No comments:
Post a Comment