He said to me, “See you don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”  Revelation 22:9  WEB

It was the first time her husband took her to a church in the denomination he had grown up in. So, during the whole sermon, the young man shifted uneasily in his seat. It was not that he was scared his new bride would feel uncomfortable knowing he had grown up attending this kind of church, but because of the message, the preacher gave. The man could hardly tell what the message was because the preacher was so puffed up at his own flowery speech and entertaining way of delivering it. The preacher was truly enjoying the success his speech was having as he fed off the crowd´s approval.

To an outsider, coming into some of our churches today and listening to the entertaining speeches can hardly seem sincere because of the showman-like way that they are presented. Some may seem somber and boring, but the trend is leaning towards exciting presenters who love being on stage. We may have little to do with who gives us our speeches or encouragement each week, but we can control where our hearts are leaning when they do. When we come together to worship the Lord, let us pray that our hearts find their focus higher than the worldly scene where we sit. There will always be some ground that can be gained in our relationship with the Lord in any sermon if we can only hear His soft voice calling us closer to Him! So let us make a great effort to try to be the kind of worshipper who is seeking Him and listening for Him in every situation life offers us!

Dear Lord,

Teach our hearts to listen for You alone over every other voice and focus on You no matter what the situation is, we pray,

Amen