Micah
6:6-8 NLT
What can we
bring to the Lord? Should we bring him
burnt offerings? Should we bow before
God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? 7 Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand
rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice
our firstborn children to pay for our sins? 8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this
is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with your God.
Worship is a big deal. One famous author put it this way: “every
body worships something”. Each of us has
to make a choice about who we will worship or what we will worship.
When we look close at the
options, there are so many things that humans put in the place that only God
deserves. The answers may seem simple,
but they are also what seems rational.
People throughout time have chosen things like this and methods like
this to worship.
The verses from Micah give
us some insight:
Does authentic worship
demand a burnt sacrifice? To worship do
we have to have lots and lots of money?
Does our worship have to include what costs us the most?
Verse 8 says that our God
really just wants us. He desires that we
worship Him and do what is right as humbly as we can.
These 3 verses have rang in
my head for over 15 years. That leads me
to another verse that we have heard before many times.
Joshua
24:14-15 NLT
“So fear the Lord and serve him
wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they
lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the
Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your
ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the
Lord.”
That is from Joshua. I recently realized that it was also shared
at almost the end of his life. Joshua
was a great and faithful leader that helped others pursue God with all that
they have.
Joshua encouraged the people
in his care to choose wisely who they would worship. The list or offer that Joshua gave them was
extremely insightful.
The first one he pointed to
was the god that ancestors served. The
people who came before us lived simpler lives without the resources and maybe
the complications that we have today due to technology.
Joshua then asked if they
wanted to worship the gods of the people who used to live in the land that they
now possess. Praise God that He has
changed our lives. We in the past may
have worship our possessions or maybe our position in life, but none of those
things connected us to God.
It is easy to get off track
with what and how we worship. I want to
encourage you to unplug from the things that distract you from God and focus on
our gracious and loving God. Do things
that lead you to worship Him and love Him with all that you have.
Worship is a big deal. Worshipping our God is a must. Worship keeps us focused!
Luke 4:8 NLT
Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your
God and serve only him.’”
Luke 10:27 NLT
The man answered, “‘You must love the
Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength,
and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
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