Rights and Reasons

 

John 4:24 God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth

 

We live our lives on the premise of the right to do. The right to worship, the right to make personal decisions, the right to breathe, live, and exist.

There are plenty of rights to go around, so much so that plenty of our granted rights go neglected. In a society where twitter and other social media are go to mediums for artistic expression, personal perception, opinion, etc. people are more likely to exercise their right to speak than their right to vote. Although the latter is the right that makes the difference.

 

It may not always be about your right to do something, but it should always be about your reason. Throughout the civil rights movement, people of a variety of ethnicities and of a plethora of cultures from all walks of life, came together to stand and say that enough is enough. That an injustice to one group of people is an injustice to all groups of people (Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.). They marched, they rallied together to facilitate boycotts, and sit ins for a generation of young people who neglect the right to sit down in a multicultural classroom, and receive a quality education. They knew that all they needed was the right, they had plenty of reasons to act upon those rights. In the 1950s the quality of resources in the Black community were not as reliable as the resources in other communities, and the list goes on an on, but it's because they desired the right, they wanted to be able to have a legitimate day. They wanted that right?

 

We have the right, right here, right now to Praise God at our own personal leisure. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He fulfilled scripture by living on this Earth, walking among the sinner, and setting an example for all the world to follow, yet some of us are so comfortable where we are right now, that we are not honoring our spiritual rights.

 

Is it possible that God is tired of our lukewarm presentations of worship?

Worship is more then a moment of music, but it is a life of action. You worship God through service, you worship God through loving, and lending a helping hand (in so many words). The problem is that too many of us feel as if we are doing God a favor. Sometimes we feel that by simply showing up Sunday morning to worship, and dragging ourselves to Wednesday night bible study that, God should be pleased? We build our resumes and biographies with a list of things that we've done personally for The Lord, and we feel as if we've done enough to secure our space in Heaven. We create lists, packed with initiatives that we've chaired or co-chaired in the name of Christ, but we still don't know Jesus. When you're tired what keeps you going? When you feel empty, and exhausted what keeps you going? When you feel as if this particular storm in life has lasted longer than enough, are you willing to quit? Do you question God's sovereign way, because your life seems so unfair? Has God failed us or have we failed him?

 

Is it your position, your routine obligation, or your passion for The Lord that drives you? Scripture says that, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble",(Job 14:1 KJV). Every time you enter into the house of The Lord, you should worship as if it is your last opportunity to do so. Life happens to everyone, trouble sometimes is literally on every side, but you've got to give God you're best praise in spite of. No matter what, if you live to worship God, do your best everyday to do something a little better. Make it your business to share God's love, go out of your way not just on your way, to acknowledge God in all of your ways. God is not a chore, and he is definitely not your genie in a bottle, better than your favorite three blessings. God deserves our best, he's worthy of our very best, even when we're tired, even when we feel as if we only have the strength to do a few things, don't stop. God knows your situation and will never put more on you than you can bear. So even though you work several jobs and you're still having a hard time making ends meet, give God praise. Even when you're the only contributing member to the group project just go ahead, give God praise. Even when you're preaching and teaching everything that God had given you, and the saints seem to want to pick and rip to pieces what God gave you, praise God anyway. When your roommate situation seemed as if it was getting better for a moment, but has now gone to an all new low, give God your best praise. When work and school seem to do nothing but take an unfair toll on you, and no one seems to even care, begin to give God glory. Simply because your praise is what really gets God's attention to let him know that you acknowledge him, and you trust him to make everything ok. Rest assure, God knows what you stand in need of and is able to deliver you, set you free, heal you, make your spirit clean, transform, and refine you, but only if you let him. Don't just go through the motions, exercise your right to Lift up and Praise the name of The Lord.

 

 

Let us bow:

 

Lord,

 

Help us to be authentic in our worship, help us to understand that you see us for who we are and that the show must conclude so that soul saving can begin. Save us from our selves, and the compulsory of lukewarm presentations of offerings that are way less than our very best. Have your way in our lives that someone might see your light in us, and desire to want to know more about you. We love you Lord and we bless you, for it is in the name of the Christ we pray, Amen!