THIRSTY HEART

Growing up my family went to church “religiously” (isn’t it funny how we use of that word?), I can still remember disliking church. It was boring and long—filled with people whom I didn’t know and who looked, well... too serious.

One Sunday, my grandmother asked me, “Eddie, do you like church?” Exactly how was I going to answer that since I didn’t quite know the answer yet? She continued, unaffected by my pause, “I sure hope so, because this is what heaven is going to be like – church, eternally.”

I’m guessing I had a pretty typical reaction to this for a nine-year-old boy, thinking, “If heaven is like an eternal church service, I’m not sure I really want to go there?”

I’m much older now, at least physically, so, I’ve been doing some thinking. Is it possible to do the very things that please God, yet be so far from the spirit of its intention, that we miss its purpose completely?

Lately, the more and more I read God’s Word, I keep finding some places where God appears to be saying, “I know you think you’re doing the right things, even things I’ve told you to do, but... you’re missing the point altogether.” It’s as if we are doing the right “things,” but our hearts, the very things God actually wants, are essentially somewhere else.

The LORD says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on mere human rules they have been taught." — Isaiah 19:13        

Time and again, God says, “I don’t want your sacrifices. I don’t want your religious festivals. In fact, I’m beginning to detest them. What I want is your heart.” In other words God says, I don’t want your “religion”—your going through the motions to please me—I want a passionate, thirsty heart longing for me. It’s as if He is saying, “If your heart is not in it, I don’t want it.”

It’s not your religion God wants, it’s Your heart that he’s interested in!. Think about this as you go about your day and consider this question: Does God have my heart, or just my “religious” obedience? Maybe you need to stop doing some things in order to make sure you are doing the right things for the right reasons. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given everything they would n
Read more

FREEDOM’S PRICE

In 1781, the Fourth of July was named a national holiday and today fireworks, parades and picnics still mark this celebration. Because on July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the thirteen colonies free from British rule. What proceeded and followed this declaration were the historic battles still taught in every elementary school. For six years the colonies shook with the Battles of Concord and Lexington, Bunker Hill and Saratoga. The war finally ended at Valley Forge where British General Cornwallis surrendered to what would be the United States’ first president, George Washington. Two years later the British and the Americans signed a peace treaty in France. Freedom does not come without a price. Through the Revolutionary War our nation’s freedom was paid for by the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who fought for their dream of what would become the United States. The battles were not easy, and the years took their toll on our young nation. In t
Read more

CHOOSING YOUR WAY

Think of all the things you can't control: the economy, your health, your income, the choices that your kids make, the decisions that your boss makes...You may have some influence over these things, but not complete control. But there is one thing you can control: How you respond to every situation. You can respond with anger, doubt, and self-pity ... or with faith, hope, and love. It's your choice. Again and again in the Psalms we encounter David in difficult situations — surrounded by enemies, struggling with sin, sinking in despair — and again and again we see his absolute resolve to think right: “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 43:5) You can't control what happens today, but you can control your actions. Don't let any situation get the best of you. No matter what you face, you can choose your own way.
Read more