Psalms 81, 88, 92-93

A recurring theme through the old Testament and Jesus' teaching throughout the gospels is the concept of genuine faith as it contradicts the aesthetic of religion. When speaking with the woman at Jacob's well in Sychar Jesus says:

John 4:23 (NIV) "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks."

I see a connection between genuine heart-felt worship and the word from the LORD to the prophet Joel about inauthentic empty religious performance:

Joel 2:13 (NIV) "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

To rend or tear one's heart is similar to Christ's reproof to the Pharisees in quoting Hosea 6:6 that God desires our love rather than the empty ritual of animal sacrifice, this was because of the religious inebriation and lack of true spiritual response to the LORD. The heart of man must be properly postured in submission to the LORD so that his worship is pleasing and glorifying to Him. It's this emphasis on genuine submission stemming from a true love of God that the psalmist makes in Psalm 81 that resonates with me as I meditate on how I worship the LORD in the way I obey. 

Psalm 81:15 (NKJV) "The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever."

Pretend submission. Is my worship truly authentic or a cultural aesthetic empty performance? God looks at the heart while man sees the external, transformation begins in our heart and results in internal and external passion for the glory of God. 

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