Sunday, October 9, 2011 - One Right Answer Leads to Another

     Several years ago, a man new to our church fellowship came and sat with me and another friend at a fellowship dinner one night.  After only a minute or two of small talk he asked each of us directly whether or not we were married and when he found out we were, he managed another moment of small talk before he moved to another table of mostly women. My friend and I had a hard time not laughing. He didn't hide his reason for being at church very well.


Why are we meeting with our church families today for Bible study and worship service? 
     *To fulfill our obligations to other people and to God?
     *To fellowship with friends who are believers?
     *To find answers for dealing with our issues?
     *To set a good example and instill good habits in our kids?
     *To support God's kingdom through the programs of the church?
     *For the man in the pulpit or the music we love to hear? 


The right answer is in the question itself: to serve God by worshiping Him on this October Sunday.  How? By connecting with Him and focusing on Him through studying His Word, sharing our testimonies of what He's doing in our lives, expressing our trust in what He's going to do through difficult circumstances, singing our love song to Him, longing to please Him, enjoying fellowship with Him, encouraging His other children, and sending outbursts of praise and thanksgiving His direction with our hands, our hearts, our minds, our voices, with instruments and attitudes, gifts and sacrifices. 
     If "Our God is Greater," doesn't He deserve at least an hour or two of our totally surrendered attention? According to Jesus, there's no debate on why we worship the Lord our God. 

"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer he asked him, 
'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'
'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.'"


Loving Him first and passionately is both our motive and our act of worship. When we do that we'll find that loving His children and "all of the above" will fall in line.