Some Old Posts III

Chapter Seven: The Unnoticed Worshipper

Have you ever become satisfied with yourself? With a mentality that God must be proud of you because you have done so much for His Kingdom. Maybe you pat yourself on the back slightly because of all your good deeds. Do you find yourself praying extra long in public because you have such an elegant way with words that you want everyone to hear them? Or maybe sometimes you might find yourself singing praises to God above everyone else because you have a great voice and you want others to hear your offering to the Lord.

I’m sure all of us have been guilty of this mentality at one time or another, but the bible speaks clearly against this behavior in Matthew 6:

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray,^]go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6: 5-8

A few years ago I was struggling with this mentality; my private worship had fallen, but my public worship seemed as if I was highly in-tune with God. As I began to draw back to a private worship life, God placed the thought in my head – “Your public worship should never exceed your private worship” – I had been guilty of that. Jeff mentioned Sunday that we are often guilty of “checking out” in church and just going through the motions; I would like to suggest, that if this is the case, then we are not knowing the Father intimately enough during the week. If we truly began to know the Father intimately in private; our private worship will overflow becoming an outflow that is our public worship. “God first seeks devotion to Him in the Hidden place – Worship when no one else is watching.”

I would like to challenge each of you to become an unnoticed worshipper. Each day take private time to worship God for who He is and what He has done for you. When you think of all the Lord has done for you my prayer is that you will become undone and undignified privately before the Lord, worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth with all of your heart, mind, and soul.