In the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, there is an overlooked element that modern worshipers would do well to notice: Abraham's faith. When Abraham tells his servants, "We are going to worship," he doesn't mean he and Isaac are going to sing a few songs, hear a nice sermonette about how to be the best Abraham he could be, and then go home and watch football and fall asleep on the couch. All true worship involves sacrifice, a laying down of something we value greatly, a death towards anything that competes with total devotion to God in the affections of our hearts. Because God knows something about us most of us don't even realize: we are what we love most. Abraham was worshiping God by proclaiming there was nothing he loved more, no greater affection or devotion, than YHWH.
What our hearts chases after most passionately defines us more than any other single aspect of our being. There is no room in the presence of God for any lesser loves, even family. Yet many of us come casually into the presence of the Most High, dragging along a suitcase full of idols that have captured our hearts. Oh, we want Jesus, but not at the expense of all these other gods. Some of us just want Him to validate and bless all the other lovers we have given our hearts to. But some of us come ready to worship, ready to put to death anything that threatens to steal our devotion from God, dead to any lesser loves.
Which worshiper will you be this Sunday?
Here are the songs we will be singing together in praise to our great God and King...
No comments:
Post a Comment