Leviticus 19:30, 30 “‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
Luke 19:46, 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.”
Irrespective of the religion, be it a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian, he/she enters their place of worship with respect and reverence. Each religion according to their customs and rituals have people bringing in some offering for their God. Eg: Flowers, oil, sweets, etc. Whereas for a believer the best offering to God is himself/herself. Romans 12:1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Yet now in the 21st century we need to question ourselves and seek answer to the question as to how is our worship and adoration nowadays??
Luke 2:41, here we read that Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover as was the custom then. We can see an obedient child here in Jesus as he follows his parents to the temple. He did not even realize that the parents had left the temple after the festival was over. His parents too realized later that he was missing. Luke 2:46, 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. If parents teach and make their children understand at an early age why we go for worship and why one should observe the sacredness of the place, the children would not forget it even after growing up. Psalm 96:9, 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
If we look around and see the dressing of the people arriving for worship it is rather disheartening. Some look as if dressed for show(party/night out). When we go for worship it is irrespective of age or gender. The Bible teaches us that even if a man looks upon a woman with lust in his heart he has committed adultery with the woman in his heart. If the dressing of women happens to distract men from worship then fault lies not with men, but the one dressed so.
Psalm 84:4, 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. The place of worship is where the children of God come together to praise the Creator, adore Him and worship Him. Isaiah 56:7…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. The Bible teaches this about the temple of God. Hence let us introspect ourselves.
Psalm 100:4, 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
Some children of God who assemble in the temple to praise the Lord are often found gossiping/talking outside in groups rather than attend the service. These people do not attend the worship service and neither do they let others attend in peace. Across ages it is now an often seen scenario that people are ticking away on their mobiles while inside the church/temple.
1 Samuel 12:23, 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.
We do not pray for ourselves alone in the church. We pray for others and the community as well. A certain of people attend church as a call of duty/habit. Attendance is not required in church because the Lord records names in the Book of Life of only those who attend church/temple and worship Him with a pure and devout heart. We can blind only the human eye and not the divine one. The tricks and traps of technology has found a niche everywhere even at places of worship.
It is not necessary that the children of a believer would turn out to be believer also. A child accepts the Living Lord as Savior inside the church and the journey after death also starts from the church itself. John 6:57, 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
We read the word of God and also participate in the Holy Communion and take His holy body and blood. Yet we forget that we should not malign/tarnish our hearts/mind/soul with things and thoughts of the outside world. The Lord has said to praise and worship with a pure true spirit. Think.
Psalm 27:4, 4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
Asaph went to seek peace for his disturbed heart in the temple of God. Psalm 73:16-17, 16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
It is not possible for us to be like David or Asaph. Once we enter the temple of God, we should be careful that we do not pay attention to anything that comes in our minds and lips that can destroy and stain the purity and sanctity of the place of worship. This is what the Lord expects from each one of us.
Jehovah Roi 