Attitude!

Attitude!

Worship the Lord and serve Him with reverence [with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder]; Rejoice [yet do so] with trembling. PSALM 2:11 AMP

When I place today's extract in context, it becomes even clearer how mighty and awesome God is, and why you can't treat as you would treat a fellow human being. God is not your regular buddy, who you can pat on the back and send to do your bidding; He's called the Mighty and Terrible One for a reason, and the verses before today's extract puts that in focus.

Men will be men; seeking to prove that they are bigger and better than who they are; men will will fill their hearts with evil devices, thinking that by sheer force of will or intellect, they can get away with anything. However, the charge today is to all men who think they can outsmart God or put Him in a box or predict His moves: you know nothing about this God except what He chooses to reveal. You cannot determine his path unless He gives you an insight into what He's doing, and invites you to join in.

That's why I am asked to worship God and serve Him with reverence, which is the right mixture of fear, wonder and awe. This will not make sense to anyone who is yet to fully understand who God is, and what He can do. If I do not know the value of a thing, abuse is inevitable. If I do not know the God I am called to worship, how do I offer him anything acceptable? I am also charged to rejoice, but to do so with trembling. This picture just evokes a sense of caution, so it keeps me grounded. I do not ever lose sight of the fact that I exist solely at the pleasure of God.

So, attitude matters. The world will see the activity, but God focuses on the inner man. Worship could be physical or internal, rejoicing may be an activity or mentality, but God looks at the state of the heart offering these sacrifices. If God were to show me the state of my heart right now, would I like what I see? Can it be said of my heart that it is right with God? His time of favour is here.