DAILY DEVOTION No. 26

                                      THE HEART OF A WORSHIPPER  (Pt 3)

This is part 3 of our devotion on the heart of a worshipper. Further from what we said in the last two devotions, a true worshipper must have:

6. An Obedient Heart

The true worshipper is obedient to God's commands because they don't want to in any way grieve the one that they love. God looks for an obedient heart and considers it far more important than any external expression of worship. When God speaks to us as we enter into His presence, do we listen and obey His promptings, or do we ignore Him or pretend He hasn’t spoken to us? He could be asking us to do something or revealing to us a particular thing in our lives that needs to be dealt with. How we respond to His voice is all-important. Jesus said in John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love.” Jesus wants us to live in intimate union with Him as the vine and draw our sustenance from Him. Jesus kept close to the Father by being responsive to His will and obeying Him. We must be responsive to Jesus’ will and obey Him.  

Disobedience creates a breakdown in our relationship with God. Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. As someone once quoted, “The cost of obedience is nothing compared with the cost of disobedience.” For example, in 1 Samuel 15:22, we read about Saul and how he had kept back part of the spoils of war, which God had ordered he should destroy. God said to him, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams”.

You can enjoy an emotional worship experience on Sunday, but if you pursue a sinful life during the week, you will destroy that relationship God so wants with you. We are friends of Jesus and as His friends, He wishes that we would eagerly respond to His commands because we want to please Him. We show we are His friends when we do what pleases Him. As Hebrews 4 tells us, those who enter into God’s rest, have ceased from their own works and are totally submitted and obedient to God’s word. God is looking for people that will not just verbally speak of their love for Him but people who are obedient to His commands. 1 John 5:3 says, “This is love for God; to obey His commands.”

A good example of obedience is Abraham. In genesis 22:1-3 we read “¹ Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. ² Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." ³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.”

Notice it says ‘early next morning’. Abraham showed total obedience. He didn’t procrastinate even though it would have been very easy for him to try and put it off or make excuses. After all, this was his only son whom God had given as a special gift. This was the son in whom all God’s promises were to be fulfilled. There was an eagerness to do what God had commanded. Abraham demonstrated the basic meaning of worship: totally giving over of my will to the will of God. When we fail to be obedient to god’s command to worship him, we may have great entertainment or a good program but god isn’t there in his power and majesty. If we fail to obey when he speaks to us, then our worship will not be accepted.

7. An Expectant Heart

There must be a belief that when we come into God’s presence to bring our offering of worship, God is going to turn up. If we praise God in faith, he will honour us. As we praise God for who he is, it reminds us of who we have at our disposal - a God that is all powerful, a God that is able to work miracles on our behalf. Those with a worshipping heart take strength from God’s word and know that if He has said that He will draw near to those who will draw near to Him, then He most certainly will, and if He says He inhabits our praises then He most certainly will come and dwell with us as we lift our voice in praise.

Challenge