Vain Worship

Make sure you’re worshiping the right God and that it comes from deep within, not just superficially.
January’s Awakening, Day 15
Nothing else so soils the work of God and makes unclean what is clean as the deification of creation and the worshiping of it as equal to God the Creator and Maker.
—Symeon the New Theologian 
So let us hold to this rule, that all human inventions which are set up to corrupt the simple purity of the word of God, and to undo the worship which he demands and approves, are true sacrileges, in which the Christian man cannot participate without blaspheming God, and trampling his honor underfoot.
—John Calvin 

Here might I stay and sing,

No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King,
Never was grief like thine!
This is my Friend,
In whose sweet praise
I all my days
Would gladly spend.
—Samuel Crossman 

The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Isaiah 29:13 NIV

They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’” Matthew 15:9 NIV

            We need to evaluate our lives and do some deep introspection on a regular basis. We should be certain that there are no “human inventions” that are corrupting the Word of God or undoing our worship of Him. True worship comes from the heart and is not superficial nor does it simply follow the proper rules of liturgical church orderliness. Rules are fine to follow, but worship is not about following the rules of man.

            Likewise, it is also equally important for us to remember that God created us in His image and that we were given dominion and charge over this earth that He made. Our responsibility is to be better caretakers than we have been, but we are not to ever put God’s creation or the importance of it above Him. We have duties and responsibilities in the care of our earth but that should never come before our heart and mindset of worshiping Him.

            Better we must become in all aspects. Better caretakers of our earth. Better in keeping His Word undefiled and untainted. Better in keeping our hearts and minds in purity through Him. And better worshipers of our Lord, God, Savior, and Creator. He is and always will be still in control, regardless of our performance.