Approaching God
We must not try to rush into God's presence. It is very disrespectful, to say the least. We can pray any time, even on the spur of the moment when we have an emergency. I am not talking about praying here. I am speaking about worshiping God and spending time personally with Him, so that He hears us and we hear from Him. The Bible is clear that the correct way to enter God's presence is with praise and thanksgiving.(Psalm 100:4) Many of us know this, but do we practice it?
The psalmist is referring to going to the Temple for worship in Psalm 100. The people were exhorted to "enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise." This shows me that even before the worship started the people were to have an attitude of praise and thanksgiving so much that they began thanking God and praising Him as they entered the gates and courtyard of God's Temple. Then, they could enter His presence, complete their sacrifices and worship, and God would join them and receive their worship. I believe we should enter our church worship services the same way today, even before the singing begins. Then, God knows we are ready to be in His presence.
When we worship Him alone, the same is true. Our time should begin with praise and thanksgiving. It ensures that we are remembering what He has done for us and who He is. We can worship in the right frame of mind, not worshiping an idol we make up, but the Holy, Almighty God who can do anything except the wrong thing. When we sees our hearts in this way, He is quick to come to meet with us. That is what makes any worship complete. Without His manifest presence, we are just singing songs, saying prayers, and preaching messages. When God shows us, everything changes.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 102-105
The psalmist is referring to going to the Temple for worship in Psalm 100. The people were exhorted to "enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise." This shows me that even before the worship started the people were to have an attitude of praise and thanksgiving so much that they began thanking God and praising Him as they entered the gates and courtyard of God's Temple. Then, they could enter His presence, complete their sacrifices and worship, and God would join them and receive their worship. I believe we should enter our church worship services the same way today, even before the singing begins. Then, God knows we are ready to be in His presence.
When we worship Him alone, the same is true. Our time should begin with praise and thanksgiving. It ensures that we are remembering what He has done for us and who He is. We can worship in the right frame of mind, not worshiping an idol we make up, but the Holy, Almighty God who can do anything except the wrong thing. When we sees our hearts in this way, He is quick to come to meet with us. That is what makes any worship complete. Without His manifest presence, we are just singing songs, saying prayers, and preaching messages. When God shows us, everything changes.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 102-105