What God wants from Me & You!

"What makes you think I want all your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats."  Isaiah 1:11

 

Sadly, I know a gazillion people who would look at the above verse and start pointing fingers and saying "yep, that perfectly describes that church over there" or "that's the kinda church I grew up in" or "hypocrisy is in every church that's why I just stay home".  And a host of other finger pointing. 

Finger pointing is always the result of an inner problem with the one pointing. And it will never make one more spiritual to point out the flaws of others. I've always found it ironic that people who bee bop from one church to another trying to find "perfect" people are never satisfied. Well, by George, when will they ever learn that where there's people there is flaws - just look in the mirror :) There is always something wrong - the preacher is boring or he's too long winded, no one even seems to know I'm here, that church is all about outward appearance..., that person testifies every single service I wish they'd stop being so happy,  land sakes alive he read from something other than King James Version :), the old hymns are boring and totally archaic, if you don't have a worship team jamming than you just aren't up to par, and on and on the flaws go.

 

After awhile the bitterness either drives one from the church completely or they are the sour, grape face sitting in the pew every service.  Why? Because somewhere along the way we got our thinking of what to expect in and from "worship" all wrong.  And God is looking down on us saying the same thing as He did the Israelites - "What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?"  Attending a church that matches up to our ideals because after all it is so worshipful the way they do things here is not the "sacrifice" God wants. In fact, it doesn't start with any church! Nor does it start at home around the family alter. But rather it starts in ones personal heart and in our personal devotions. God wants a love sacrifice, a relationship between you and Him.  When we are worshiping God on a personal level our heart becomes adjusted into proper place and our ideals of church takes on new meaning.  The finger pointing stops, the sour grape face is replaced with the sunshine of Heaven, and our souls are at peace.

 

Does the peace and oneness with God make the flaws and annoyingness of people go away like magic?  NO!! because we are still on this side of Heaven :)  But God will give grace and wisdom and more peace. Most importantly, He will be pleased with us!!