Only Going Through the Motions
Pastor
John Fredericks
Throughout much of the Old Testament, God’s people, the nation of
Israel, had a very shallow, distant walk with the Lord. Even though given
the unique privilege of having God’s written Word available, the Lord
told the prophet Amos, “they have despised the law of the Lord, and have
not kept His commandments” (Amos 2:4). This did not mean they completely
ignored the Scriptures. In some cases, they simply neglected the Word.
Often they only went through the motions of having it read to them without
internalizing the truths of God and allowing it to change their daily
lives. In other cases, after time in a distant, meaningless walk with the
Lord, they completely abandoned the sacred Scriptures to worship false
gods made by the hands of men.
Israel still had priests, but when God’s true prophets came with a
message too close to home, they responded with words such as, “prophesy
not again any more” (Amos 7:13). Resistance, even anger and violence,
was a frequent response. Yet, in many cases, they still worshipped the
Lord, but only in a halfhearted way that the Lord would simply not accept.
Therefore, God’s message to them was, “I hate, I despise your feast
days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer Me
burnt offerings…I will not accept them…Take thou away from Me
the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols”
(Amos 5:21-23). Even worship toward the Lord can be meaningless,
or worthless, to the Lord. This is so when worship is offered with a cold
heart, only going through the motions, and without seeking to be
continually transformed into the person God wants His child to become
(Rom. 12:1-2).
Why would the Lord not accept their worship? It boils down to
the explanation recorded in both Isaiah and Matthew: “This people
draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips;
but their heart is far from Me” (Matt. 15:8; Isa. 29:13). Simply going
through the motions of worshipping the Lord is not enough. He desires that
we come to Him in sincerity, with biblical truth being paramount, allowing
His Word to transform our lives, and desiring a daily walk that knows Him
in a real, close, and meaningful way.
Believer, don’t settle for just going through the motions of worship.
Come to the Lord with a genuine desire to know Him intimately, be
“conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29), and do His will.
Then, and only then, will your worship of the Lord be truly pleasing to
the One who gave His life for you.
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