Friday; May 24
Would you like to please the Lord? Of course we would! We like being right in God’s sight – but have you ever thought about how we do that? Typically, when we think about doing righteousness, we imagine getting our worship in order. We look at what God has ordained in worship and invest in doing it to the best of our ability. Now, while that is a good place to begin, that is not all we ought to be doing. Centuries ago an Old Testament prophet observed, “Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:7-8). The prophet is not downplaying appropriate worship, he was also reminding us that in addition to worshipping in the proper way, we need to make sure we treat each other the right way. Not only do we have to make sure our vertical relationship with God is free and clear, we also need to keep our horizontal connections in order.
When we approach God with honor and respect we do well – and when we relate to our fellow man with love and civility we create a deeper relationship our Lord.
I hope you will spend time attending a worship service this weekend, but don’t neglect to pay attention to our friends and neighbors each and every day.
Think About It!