Day 13: Worship that Pleases God
Rick says, "Worship must be based on the truth of the Scripture, not our opinions about God." So, what if God is not just? I want to worship a God that is just. Or what if God has petty thoughts? Then if we still worship the God described in the Scripture, would we then be worshiping out of fear and not love?
Authenticity is not just about communicating to God; authenticity should be practiced with everyone at all times. I generally agree with Rick that sincerity is desired above perfection in our actions, although it helps to not do something completely wrong.
I have to remind myself, as Rick's talking about worshiping according to each person's unique predispositions, that in chapter 9 worship was defined as bringing pleasure to God.
As I'm reading this chapter, I'm taken back to my earlier question about obedience vs. free will by Rick's phrase, "[God] commands us to praise his name." Maybe obedience is following a general order, and free will is the freedom to carry out the order in a manner that makes sense to the individual. Well, this assumes that God doesn't always give super specific orders as he did with Noah.
I'm struck again by the use of the phrase "Christian Solidiers" by Rick. I hate to think of Christians as belligerent, and I would personally avoid using words like "soldier" and "war" when talking about Christians and Christianity.
I think the point here is to not be half-assed about worship. Be authentic. Be sincere. Be passionate. I actually think that living this way is much easier than trying to layer on pretenses and facades to our actions, although I don't always succeed at "keeping things real".
I don't know that this question is relevant to me, but I think what Rick's getting at is that we should do things because we believe in those acts, or rather, we believe in the reasons behind those acts. When we act out of belief, it doesn't matter whether the act is public or private. What matters is that we believe it is right.
And if we are doing something just for other people to see it, not because we actually believe in what we're doing, then we're no longer worshiping God; we're worshiping an idol.
Authenticity is not just about communicating to God; authenticity should be practiced with everyone at all times. I generally agree with Rick that sincerity is desired above perfection in our actions, although it helps to not do something completely wrong.
I have to remind myself, as Rick's talking about worshiping according to each person's unique predispositions, that in chapter 9 worship was defined as bringing pleasure to God.
As I'm reading this chapter, I'm taken back to my earlier question about obedience vs. free will by Rick's phrase, "[God] commands us to praise his name." Maybe obedience is following a general order, and free will is the freedom to carry out the order in a manner that makes sense to the individual. Well, this assumes that God doesn't always give super specific orders as he did with Noah.
I'm struck again by the use of the phrase "Christian Solidiers" by Rick. I hate to think of Christians as belligerent, and I would personally avoid using words like "soldier" and "war" when talking about Christians and Christianity.
Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.
I think the point here is to not be half-assed about worship. Be authentic. Be sincere. Be passionate. I actually think that living this way is much easier than trying to layer on pretenses and facades to our actions, although I don't always succeed at "keeping things real".
Question to Consider: Which is more pleasing to God right now--my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about this?
I don't know that this question is relevant to me, but I think what Rick's getting at is that we should do things because we believe in those acts, or rather, we believe in the reasons behind those acts. When we act out of belief, it doesn't matter whether the act is public or private. What matters is that we believe it is right.
And if we are doing something just for other people to see it, not because we actually believe in what we're doing, then we're no longer worshiping God; we're worshiping an idol.