Wednesday, December 31, 2014

What do you remember?

We can have a great time singing and dancing ourselves into a frenzy. But at the end of it, fire doesn’t come down from heaven. People leave talking about the people who led rather than the power of God.—Forgotten God, page 144

<idle musing>
Indeed! When you walk out of a "service" what do you recall? What/whom are you talking about? Do you live differently as a result of that time? Or does the feeling fade and you go back to living as you did before?

That doesn't mean that God can't use those times of "worship." It just means that we need to realize that emotional experiences don't necessarily result in transformed lives. Transformation is a lot harder than dancing and singing. It requires saying yes to God and no to self on a moment-by-moment basis. It means not clicking on that link. It means not opening that cupboard door for one more (probably unneeded) snack. It means many little decisions that result in a life given over to God instead of self..."worship" is so much easier. But if it doesn't result in a transformed life, it isn't really worship; it's just an emotional high.
</idle musing>

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