It's been a long time, but I have a friend who I talk to that keeps encouraging me to write, so here I am on a Saturday morning doing it.
This post is coming from a combination of reading Isaiah 6 and realizing how foolish I have been in the past with how reverent I am towards God. Take a few seconds and read Isaiah 6:1-7. This is no joke. Isaiah doesn't get called into God's presence and give God a high five and say "What up, Holy One?" He falls on his face and says that he and his people are unholy and not worthy of being in God's presence. Being in the presence of God is a serious thing, and we need to take it seriously. This post is not saying we can't have fun, because that would be silly. This post is just trying to say we need to be a lot more careful what we say and do in the presence of God.
First, when we handle Scripture in any way, it is not a light thing. It is the very Word of God, breathed out by Him, and given to us for teaching, correction, reproof, training, and so much more (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So why is it, if we know God's Word is directly from Him, that we often treat it with flippancy? I know in my own life I used to quote verses to people just because I thought it was funny because they oppressed a certain group of people at the time (like I said, foolishness). How about when we read the Bible and have not prepared our hearts at all for the feast that God has laid out before us? God wants to show us so much from His Word, but I think it's kind of hard for us to receive it when our hearts and minds are full of so much other trash. We need to handle God's Word with humility because we are nothing in comparison to Him, and with trembling, because it's something to be taken seriously (Isaiah 66:1-2).
The next example I want to give is actually physically going to church on whatever day it happens to be on. Do we truly believe that God wants to (and does) show up in our churches every Sunday morning through biblical preaching and worship that glorifies only Him? Let's flesh this out a little bit.
If we believe that God shows up and is glorified through our worship, why do we not lift our hands or clap or do anything else to worship God? I don't remember where I read this, but it's true: It's pretty sad when the local concert can drown out the victory song of the children of God. A preacher I know says this quite often, and it convicts me every time: "We get more excited about the Blue Jays winning than about the fact that God has saved us." Why is that? Why are we not more excited about God's presence in our churches? God delights in us loving Him. God delights in us worshiping Him with all of our body, mind and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5). (I'm not talking about foolish craziness here, but that is another blog for another time.) We should be excited and clapping our hands and making our voices hoarse from singing praises to our Saviour, rather than worrying about what the people behind us or beside us will think. If God has saved you, you have every reason to raise your hands and worship Him.
If we believe that God shows up in and through His Word, like He says He does, then why are we not more reverent about hearing His Word through biblical preaching? I've seen (and been) so many people on cell phones (not on the Bible app or taking sermon notes) during sermons and worship. Really? That text can't wait until after the preacher is done heralding the Word of God? You can't find out movie times after the service? I think this part of our culture is a joke, and Jesus would be disgusted at our lack of reverence when the Word of God is being preached. First Thessalonians 2:13 says this: "When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God." When someone is preaching the Bible, God is speaking! It is not just the voice of Matt Chandler, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, Paul Washer, Beth Moore, or any other servant of God. God is speaking and alive in His Word!
All of this to say we need to be more reverent. I don't think it's an option, I know we should be more reverent. This looks different for everyone, but I think things like "Jesus is my homeboy" and misquoting Scripture on coffee mugs and texting in church are an abomination to God. There are times and places to be fun and silly, but handling God's Word and being in His presence are not those times.
I am not condemning anyone here, but this is meant to make you think. I have done all the things mentioned here, and I am still not perfect. Just think about how you, as a follower of Christ, are handling God's Word and how you are acting in His presence. Our purpose is to glorify God, not ourselves. "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)
