Empty Praise

I meant to get this post up on the day it claims to be posted, but was not able to finish until after my high school missions trip, which ended on the 10th of July. This was posted the 11th. Read it as if posted June 30th.

Tonight I had the opportunity to go with the Sullivans and some of their friends to go see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. It was very good singing, especially considering the fact that every single one of them is a volunteer, and there was a great amount of coordination involved. Their claps were all on beat and the scariest part was when they would put their hands down, because they did it... really... slowly... like... this...

Anyway, the eeriest part was when they sang "worship" songs that I like to sing to my God. They sang these songs and I suppose I was expected to appreciate their spirituality for it. Well, I didn't . That singing was only deceptive. It was empty praise. If they were worshiping at all (and not performing), then they were worshiping a false god. I talked to a Mormon once and said that her teachings didn't line up with my Christian teachings, she insisted that Mormons were no different from Christians. That wasn't difficult to discount, but that experience only convinced me that the purpose of the Mormon religion was deception. That's why I couldn't appreciate what they were doing.

They were good, yes. But it didn't mean anything. It was just empty.

The God we worship doesn't care that we sing the greatest hymns or most powerful worship songs, he doesn't care how well we sing them or how many people we sing them in front of. We don't even have to sing in order to worship God. He cares about the heart. His Word says He is seeking "true worshipers" who "will worship the father in spirit and in truth." - John 4:23 I need to be careful, though. Just because I am a Christian doesn't mean I can't be presenting empty worship to God. It can be just as easy to sing the words of the song without meaning them, or doing good works in order to get something other than Christ. I need to constantly remind myself of God's attributes and worship Him for those, realizing how low I am and how much He really deserves it.

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night"
~ Psalm 92:1-2