Jul 11
15
Man asks, “How am I to worship God?” and
he has answered it also in his own way. In the
gorgeous temple, in the pillared cathedral, with
incense, and vestments, and forms, and ceremonies,
and processions, and postures, he says.
But these performances are the ‘will worship’ of
self righteousness, not the obedient service of
men worshiping God in ways of His own choosing.
Man cannot teach man how to worship God. When
he tries it he utterly fails. He distorts worship; he
misrepresents God, and he indulges his own sensuous
or self righteous tastes. His “dim religious light” is
but a reflection of his own gloomy spirit, and an
ignorant misrepresentation of Him “who is light.”
God’s answer to man’s question is given in the
Lord’s words, “those who worship Him must worship
Him in spirit and in truth.”
The vestments may or may not be lovely; that matters not.
The music may or may not be beautiful.
The knees may or may not be bent.
The hands may or may not be clasped.
The place of worship may or may not be
a cathedral, or a consecrated building.
These are immaterial things; mere
adjuncts of religion, not its essence.
The true worship is that of the inner man; and all
these other exterior things are of little importance.
As it is with love, so it is with worship.
The heart is everything!
God can do without the bended knee,
but not without the broken heart!