True Worship

I heard a pastor preach these words - "If you want success, wealth, influence and power, come worship the Lord!"

I was aghast. Worship the Lord, the Almighty God, because we want something? Worship Him for selfish reasons?!

How so very wrong the pastor was! Worshipping and praising the Lord aren't acts done because we want something from Him.

We should worship Him because of Who He is:

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom. - Psalm 145:3

We should worship Him simply because He is our great God:

Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. - Psalm 95:6-7

But most of all, we should worship Him because He deserves it!

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.
Bring an offering and come before him;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. - 1 Chronicles 16:29

I couldn't help but think what kind of message that pastor was sending out to the congregation. How very mercenary of us Christians, to worship God only to gain something! Praising Him for selfish ends.

And what, indeed, would those newcomers and unbelievers in the congregation think? In the end, we would be no different from the other religions - worshipping to gain something.

What impact would those words uttered by the pastor have on young Christians? That pastor would be sowing bad seeds, which, if not rooted out, would cause an unhealthy, stunted growth in the wrong direction.

Christians, pray for the Church and its leaders worldwide! The end is near, and the love of many have grown cold. Pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But above all, pray that each Christian will seek the Lord wholeheartedly and know the truth!!!