Thought of the Day !!

David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.

                                    2 Samuel 6:5 (NIV)

For King David this was worship.  They were moving the ark of God to Jerusalem and there was a celebration surrounding it.  No, they were not in a building.  There were no synagogues or Temples at the time.  No, there was not a liturgist or a preacher or official choir.  But there was a celebration of the LORD.

How often do we go into church services and forget to celebrate the LORD?  Have we made worship into a set of do's and don'ts?  Is there a certain way you must worship?  Does it offend someone if you show enthusiasm?

The fact is that worship needs to be reverent, while at the same time being a celebration.  How in the world does this happen, you might ask.  Whatever comes from our heart and is given to God is reverent, including prayers, begging for forgiveness, laying out our painful situations and so on.  But we should always be praising God because where two or three are gathered in His name, Jesus said that He would be there.  We should praise God because He is with us through His Holy Spirit and is working with us.  This is a celebration and should not be held back because of one's tradition or worry about what others might say.

The next time you worship God, celebrate Him.  Celebrate the fact that He has forgiven you of your sins.  Celebrate the fact that if you are struggling with sin or pain or worry, He is listening to you and is right by your side.  Celebrate that He loves you and will never leave you.

In the love of Christ,

greg