I've got friends who ask for advice, but what they really want is affirmation. They ask for guidance, but they're really looking for confirmation.
They say things like, “I see what you're saying, but don't you think...” Or, “Oh, I understand, but I was thinking ...” In reality, it gets a little tiring.
God doesn't work this way. Did you know He has certain expectations when it comes to the way we worship Him? For instance, Jesus said that the Father is looking for worshipers (you and me) who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (see John 4). He's not looking for a program, or a style, or a particular architecture, or flamboyant personalities, or even the newest song. He's looking for us, and His expectation is that we'll worship Him with a clean, pure and open attitude in a manner that's consistent with and based on His word; the truth that scripture affords.
And He expects us to worship Him according to His excellent greatness (see Psalm 150). Not according to our personal preference or according to popular opinion. According to who He is and all He's done. When we see according to in scripture, it usually indicates “out of,” or “in relation to,” or “because of.” It has nothing to do with what I was thinking, or what you were thinking. It has everything to do with who He is and what He's done.
So, as we look into a new year with all its hopes and dreams and, yes, expectations, can I challenge you to pray over, plan and present your offerings of worship in the spirit and truth of what our Father is seeking? And can I challenge you to do all this according to His excellent greatness?
He expects no less.
--Click here for more helpful articles from writer/arranger/director Marty Parks.
