“Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
Today’s Text: Amos 5:18-27 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
I’ve always loved music. I’m pretty sure that God used worship music to draw me to Christ so that I might be saved. And I know without a doubt that God used worship music and worship ministry to grow me as a disciple of Jesus Christ. So I understand how and why God might reject the songs that I sing in His name.
From my limited and sinful perspective, I can think of three conditions where God might reject my worship. First, I confess that during any given time of worship, I might be just going through the motions of worship. And that can happen for any number of reasons. I may be extra tired. I may be arguing with CJ, or I may be angry at my kids for something. Other relational issues may be on my mind. Or I may simply not like the song I’m singing. I may not be a “super fan” of the person leading worship (btw, I am a “super fan” of all our worship leaders XD).
Second, God might reject my worship because I may be performing for people but not really offering a sacrifice of praise to God. As a worship leader and as a pastor, I can’t say that I struggled a lot with the performative nature of the ministry. However, that struggle is always in the back of my mind. I never kidded myself in thinking that I was a great or even good musician and singer (or preacher). At the same time, deep in my heart, I knew that I wanted people to acknowledge my musicianship. I could never quite figure out how to completely blot out that attitude. I came to the conclusion that all I could do was to confess it to the Lord, and then keep pressing on in faithfulness.
Third, God might reject my worship because the rest of my life doesn’t really reflect that God is real and present in my heart. And how would my life NOT reflect that God is real and present in my heart? By my attitude and actions toward other people.
Do I care only about MY ministry but could care less about other people’s ministry?
Do I care more about my ministry than about the people I am supposed to be ministering to?
Do I care that about 174,000 people die each day and a vast majority of them do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
Do I do absolutely nothing to help the poor and needy in this world?
Do I lack compassion, empathy, sympathy, or even basic courtesy toward people I may not get along with?
Do I want to relegate all the awkward and weird people into their own ghetto so that I can hang out with all the cool and popular people, like myself?
Every single one of us has unresolved sin in our hearts that could potentially cause God to reject our worship. There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). And so if God is truly real and present in our hearts, we would want to change, and we would confess our sins, and we would try to do better, even knowing we cannot be perfect.
And even knowing that we cannot be perfect, we know that …
we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
— 1 John 2:1-2
Father, You are good, and You are love. You are mercy and grace and compassion. I fall short of Your glory each and every day. And yet, I want to experience Your glory and know what it means to have intimate fellowship with You. Forgive me for my lack of faith. Grow my faith. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
