John 17:3
In
college I took Religion 101, which outlined the basic events and truths of the
Old Testament. If you made a list of the basics of your religion, what would
your list include? Would your list revolve around beliefs or would it revolve
around practices?
In
the book of Hosea, the Israelites demonstrated a religion caught up in
practices. They went through the motions of offering sacrifices, but their
hearts were far from God. Their passion had shifted from God to the world, and
they became like that which they loved and worshiped (Hosea 9:10). They ceased
acknowledging God, they plunged into wickedness, and they began worshiping
other gods (Hosea 4).
Many
today are like Israel. They profess to know God, but their lives are no
different from those who don’t know God. They go through the rituals of
worship, but their hearts are far from God.
How does God view mere outward rituals of worship? They offer sacrifices given to Me, but the Lord is not pleased with
them (Hosea 8:13).
God
said to Israel, For I desire mercy, not
sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea
6:6). He turned Israel’s attention
from religion to relationships. True worship is acknowledging the God of
scripture to be real and true. In Old
English, worship was actually spelled ‘worthship;’ and so, true worship of God
is acknowledging and proclaiming His worth. God wants heartfelt worship that
stems from a personal relationship with Him and then impacts our relationship
with others.
Would
you say you are caught up in religion or have you entered a personal
relationship with Jesus? Are you merely going through the motions of worship,
or do you delight in proclaiming God’s worth to Him and to others? You become like the thing you worship (Hosea
9:10, Psalm 115:8). So, do you resemble
the world, or are you increasingly becoming like Jesus?
Lord, help me love and
worship You wholeheartedly!
Jan Burkhart
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