The Hearts and Mouths of Worship

DAY 221
5-10-10
JEREMIAH 29-31


Good Morning!

The degradation of Israel’s heart for God was their down fall. God demanded that they follow his law. He expected obedience out of his people. However, what evolved was a heart that was far from God as they sought to draw near by artificial means of rules they made up. We are to follow God’s rules, his way, and his laws.

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

Jesus fought this tendency in his day when he was questioned about not following the traditions of the Jews in regard to hand washing. He quoted this passage from Isaiah to point out that there is no way to come near to God by man-made rule following.

So for us, our desire to come near to God in worship must be on God terms, not ours. God most definitely condemns rules that are not his rules. God does not condemn traditions as long as they stay just that – traditions. Hand washing is good. But God wants cleans hearts.

When man-made traditions become rules that God has not made – they become a barrier that keeps us from coming near to God. God wants our hearts; and our mouths; and our obedient, worshipful lives.

Barry