Away With The Noise

"I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept [them], Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
Amos 5:21-23

Any time I read this passage it strikes within me a need for self examination. It would be so easy to get caught up in the routine of things, and to take for granted that God is pleased with my efforts. Things like going to church, reading my Bible, praying, tithing, etc. But God doesn't want mere routine. Rituals have never been what He desires. Oh, none of the things mentioned are bad things. And when done with proper heart motives I feel certain that they please God. And that is the key...MOTIVE. Why do we do the things we do? Is it just to give us some sense of security? Is it for show? Do we think it will earn us points with God? If we said yes to those things then our efforts are in vain.

Being that this particular passage mentions singing, it reminded me of the many praise teams I've been on over the years. Of those teams, the ones that functioned most efficiently were those whose purpose was to bring glory and honor to God. There were no "stars" on the team. On the other hand, the teams that didn't function well were the ones where someone wanted to steal the glory. Even when serving in areas of ministry we need to be very cautious. We can't let our egos take over and rob what belongs to God.

My heart is to please God. I desire to serve Him, not for what I can get, but to bring Him glory, and to further His kingdom. I know that along the way I may fail (sin) at times. And I do believe that when our motives are wrong, it is just as much a sin as lying, stealing, or any other sin. So what do we do when we sin? Psalms 51:16-17 is a perfect example:

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give [it]; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.

This passage was written after David had sinned against God with Bathsheba. I think you all know the story. David was a man after God's heart, and yet, he still sinned. But he knew what it meant to truly repent. He knew that God wouldn't be pleased with his ritualistic offerings. He wanted brokenness. When we truly realize the incredible sacrifice God made, and the horrific sin He's delivered us from, then we should be overflowing with love and gratitude. We should be seeking to do His will, and to love Him with all that is within us. There's a joke about people saying, "I'll do anything for You, God...just don't send me to Africa." Is that true surrender? Is that what our mindset should be? True passion for God means we're willing to go where He sends...even if it's Africa. And we're willing to be obedient to His word. We walk the walk, not just give idle lip service.

Okay, so I know I've wandered all over the place, but hopefully you got the gist of what I'm trying to express....

~jan~