Playing at worship, while we worship our play?

Hob·by  –  an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation   So what's your hobby?   Please don't say watching TV or playing video games... sorry, that just couldn't be helped!   A majority of Americans report “TV watching” as the ‘activity’ (does it really qualify as an activity?) that fills the largest percentage of their leisure time.   TV is entertaining, but it certainly does not qualify as a real hobby.    A real hobby adds value to our lives by giving us a creative outlet, by connecting us to other people, and/or by helping us develop new skills.   I hope you've got one!  

The curse of the Church in 2013 is that “God” has become a hobby. He gets what’s left over after we do the ‘important’ things in life.  After work, school, home maintenance, sports … then, God gets His time. He gets a donation, not a tithe.  Many give what they can ‘afford’ after making payments on the mortgage, credit cards, and cars.  Christian services fills in the gaps in the day planner, after the 'real work' is finished - as a hobby ought to, but as He never should.  It's an ancient misappropriation of priorities among human beings.   We forget that we are spiritual beings, first and foremost; that our physical bodies are dying, that things of this present world that we love do dearly are temporal.  Making the satisfaction of our appetites an urgent matter, we turn to worship of ourselves, our bodies, our achievements, our stuff and we begin to play at spiritual matters such as worshipping God and using the gifts of the Spirit to serve others in His Name.

When we attempt to create ‘heaven on earth,’ we lose sight of eternity,  misplace our treasure, and wonder if the neglected faith is even worth the polite nod we give to it on alternate Sundays of the month.

Do you find church unbearably boring,  works of service intolerably intrusive, and prayer a practice only for a few devoted people?  This indicates that God has lost His place to some other god in your life. Vital Christianity does not just ‘happen’ to us.  We choose, each to lift up Christ in our thought and actions. The Bible says, "Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:16-17, NLT)   Joshua, the leader of God’s people, directed them to "fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped … and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, … But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:13-15, NIV)

Ask this of yourself - "Am I going to do God's work or to simply earn a living?"  How we answer that question will make a difference in the way we work.  We will honor Christ in all things!

When we are making decisions about spending the resources of time or money, we should ask, "As I manage this sacred trust of life, am I spending or investing?"   We will create eternal wealth!

  

As a parent do I live in such a way that my children are God-aware  learning from my daily choices that God is the Lord of Life? Do my activities indicate that loving Jesus is the primary purpose;  would they conclude that success in this temporal world is why they exist?

In the last book of the Old Testament, a prophet named Malachi received a word from God for His people.   Seems that the Jews were blessed, but they forgot Who was blessing them.   God was playing second fiddle to their own desires and plans.  He was getting the left-overs.  He said,  “I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They’re saying it everywhere: ‘God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.’  “All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me.  You profane me when you say, ‘Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,’ and when you say, ‘I’m bored—this doesn’t do anything for me.’ You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!  And when you do offer something to me, it’s a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I’m going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!   “A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I’m a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I’ll not put up with it!"

A 'hobby' God is unable to meet our deepest needs.  That is the reason that so many Christians are unfulfilled – chasing experience, moving from church to church, even abandoning Christ’s church. God has not failed to meet their needs. They have asked Him to live in the wrong place in their lives.  So, ponder this word from the Word today.  Mediate deeply on it!  "... do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the (those without God) seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:31-33, NKJV)