By: Robert Hatfield, Pulaski, TN

A little girl asked her mother, "How did the human race appear?" The mother answered, "God made Adam and Eve and they had children and so all mankind was made."

Two days later the girl asked her father the same question. The father answered, "Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved."

The confused girl returned to her mother and said, "Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?"

The mother answered, "Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his."

 

Obedience Or Entertainment?

Offering acceptable worship to God is a difficult task which requires great attention. History teaches that worship has always been a difficult thing for man.

Old Testament examples indicate the difficulty of worship for humans. King Saul learned that "going through the motions" is not enough when Samuel rebuked him for offering a sacrifice. Saul was told, "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22). David learned that entertainment is not the answer to acceptably worshiping God when he created a great celebration and built a new cart for transporting the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6-7). This unwise decision ultimately cost Uzzah his life (2 Samuel 6:6-7).

Many centuries separate these examples from modern man, yet the same problems continually arise. Men today seem to be more concerned about entertainment and excitement than being pleasing to God.

Acceptable worship to God demands the following ingredients:

The Right Direction. Christians’ minds are to be set on things above (Colossians 3:1-2). This undoubtedly includes worship to God. However, today’s mind-set seems to be focused on those attending the worship service rather than on God. The wise man sums up the purpose of existence: "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The object of worship is God. "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

The Right Doctrine. God has specified that worship is to be in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) and has given a pattern in the New Testament for worshiping Him. It is by God’s com-mands that men are to worship Him - not by opinions.

The Proper Dedication. One must be willing to stay focused during the worship service. The mind must be controlled to keep thoughts from wandering. Proper dedication to attend-ance is also necessary (Hebrews 10:25).

The point is this: Christians must put away selfish attitudes in service and worship to God. Attitudes such as, "I didn’t get anything out of that service" or "The prayer was too long" neither help that individual to grow closer to God nor offer acceptable worship to the Father.