Twelve more days until I touch down in Arkansas. I am so looking forwarded to seeing everyone, and more, worshiping with my brethren. I need the fellowship in a great way. Pray the Lord provides. The doubts I have about not getting the soul food I desire, is not due to any lack of faithfulness and mercy I have received in the past, but from my own degenerate faithlessness and apostasy.
For worship to be proper, I can think of five necessary conditions: truth, obedience and humility in the subjects, and worthiness and acceptance of the Object. Worship is veneration, reverence, praise; if God is the object of our worship, anything but the truth is a crime against the character and reputation of our Lord. In the Navy's honors and ceremonies, when an admiral or president arrives, eight bells are rung in his honor. Imagine if the president arrived on a ship and only six bells were rung for him. The president may be slightly embarrassed, but he would still be the president, but all the sailors would not be aware of the rank of the officer who is visiting their ship (six bells are for rear admirals). I would imagine that boatswains mate would be fired from that job and would return to painting and scrubbing the decks all day. How much more disrespectful it is for us to proclaim falsehoods about God, knowing it is robbing him of glory. Humility and obedience are similar, because humility isn't genuine without obedience. If God is all wise, and he is the real object of our desire, we would perform only that which he commands. Anything more or less is not appropriate for a perfect lawgiver. I don't feel adequate to say anything here of the worthiness of my Blessed Redeemer, so I will just say that provided we offer everything we have in the most appropriate way in our power, according to God's commands, he is not obligated to accept our feeble attempts. Without the visitation of his Spirit, it isn't properly worship, and we are left miserably wanting.
For worship to be proper, I can think of five necessary conditions: truth, obedience and humility in the subjects, and worthiness and acceptance of the Object. Worship is veneration, reverence, praise; if God is the object of our worship, anything but the truth is a crime against the character and reputation of our Lord. In the Navy's honors and ceremonies, when an admiral or president arrives, eight bells are rung in his honor. Imagine if the president arrived on a ship and only six bells were rung for him. The president may be slightly embarrassed, but he would still be the president, but all the sailors would not be aware of the rank of the officer who is visiting their ship (six bells are for rear admirals). I would imagine that boatswains mate would be fired from that job and would return to painting and scrubbing the decks all day. How much more disrespectful it is for us to proclaim falsehoods about God, knowing it is robbing him of glory. Humility and obedience are similar, because humility isn't genuine without obedience. If God is all wise, and he is the real object of our desire, we would perform only that which he commands. Anything more or less is not appropriate for a perfect lawgiver. I don't feel adequate to say anything here of the worthiness of my Blessed Redeemer, so I will just say that provided we offer everything we have in the most appropriate way in our power, according to God's commands, he is not obligated to accept our feeble attempts. Without the visitation of his Spirit, it isn't properly worship, and we are left miserably wanting.
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