Loving God, You are worthy of our worship and praise; kindle that in this dear reader on this Your day; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
From my childhood come these verses for today: " I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." (Psalm 122:1 KJV) and "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." (Psalm 100:4 KJV).
How would you react later this morning if an usher at the church asked you, "Will you want TW seating or CM seating?" You'd probably ask, "What's the difference?" or "What does that mean?" They'd smile and say, TW stands for True Worshipper, and CM stands for Church Member, and yes, there is a difference! Okay, you know that won't happen today or ever, but I wanted us to focus on our heart and its priorities as we prepare to go to worship this morning. As a boy, these verses were shared with me enough that I knew them by heart and as I grew in wisdom and understanding, I understood what they meant. I knew that like in my life, someone had played an important role in David's life. It may have been his mom or his dad or both. Their understanding of worship was key to his development, after all, it took him from the pasture to the palace. It lead David as it should lead us to know that 1) Worship is not about us, but about God. 2) It is God's church, not ours. 3) Our time in worship, however short or long, serves to bless God. 4). Your attitude will determine your altitude (The heights you reach in worship). This lead Jesus many, many years later to exclaim to the Samaritan woman in John 4 to say, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. (v. 23).
Church members, well, you know all about them and their attitude. All I can say is to strive to be like David and all those in the Bible who knew and loved God and sought to know more about God in every opportunity they were given. God, as Jesus said, is seeking those who worship God "in spirit and truth," and yes, even among those in "church" because of tradition, habit, and yes, the rut they're in, God may yet surprise them and awaken their spirits to the truth of worship (Hear Our Prayer, Lord!).
It's your choice! But why not join David's choruses about true worship as you prepare yourself and your loved ones to worship and praise God?
PRAYER: Lord, let me be among those TWs who seek to worship You in spirit and truth. Forgive me the times that I have been those who just sit on the premises and not stand on the promises. Help awaken in me a true stirring of my spirit by Yours. And let it be contagious! I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
TW
