When does worship become insincere ritual?

Zechariah 7:4-6 (NIV)

Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, we're you not just feasting for yourselves?

The following is an article from the Quest Study Bible published by Zondervan:

Traditions have great value because they preserve the values and teachings of the past. They remind us of things we might otherwise forget. While living in a foreign land, surrounded by foreign culture and language, the Jews could have easily forgotten the important events of their history. Future generations could have missed out on how significantly God had dealt with their ancestors. But they used rituals and traditions to avoid historical ignorance. They commemorated the past so they would not forget the lessons learned.

Unfortunately, the rituals "fossilized" over time. Eventually, people were celebrating only the form and forgetting the reality behind it. Their fasting appeared meaningful but had no inner substance. When this, or something similar happens, a worship activity becomes an empty ritual, or worse, a ritual with the wrong meaning attached to it. Often this can occur as a slow erosion of values---a process that eventually destroys the good others have endeavored to do.

What is to fear in Death?

"That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death." Hebrews 2:14

Here is another devotional from Charles Spurgeon:

O child of God, death hath lost its sting, because the devil's power over it is destroyed. Then cease to fear dying. Ask grace from God the Holy Ghost, that by an intimate knowledge and a firm belief of thy Redeemer's death, thou mayst be strengthened for that dread hour. Living near the cross of Calvary thou mayst think of death with pleasure, and welcome it when it comes with intense delight. It is sweet to die in the Lord: it is a covenant-blessing to sleep in Jesus. Death is no longer banishment, it is a return from exile, a going home to the many mansions where the loved ones already dwell. The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant saints on earth seems great; but it is not so. We are not far from home--a moment will bring us there.

The sail is spread; the soul is launched upon the deep. How long will be its voyage? How many wearying winds must beat upon the sail ere it shall be reefed in the port of peace? How long shall that soul be tossed upon the waves before it comes to that sea which knows no storm? Listen to the answer, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord." Yon ship has just departed, but it is already at its haven. It did but spread its sail and it was there. Like that ship of old, upon the Lake of Galilee, a storm had tossed it, but Jesus said, "Peace, be still," and immediately it came to land. Think not that a long period intervenes between the instant of death and the eternity of glory. When the eyes close on earth they open in heaven. The horses of fire are not an instant on the road. Then, O child of God, what is there for thee to fear in death, seeing that through the death of thy Lord its curse and sting are destroyed? and now it is but a Jacob's ladder whose foot is in the dark grave, but its top reaches to glory everlasting.

The Lord Inspires Awe

The disciples just sat there in awe. "Who is this?" they asked themselves. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" (Matthew 8:27)(NLT)

The following worship note is from the Praise and Worship Study Bible by Tyndale House:

"Who is this?" the disciples said to each other when they saw the winds and waves subside. They were awestruck by Jesus' power over nature, for he commanded forces beyond their control. At the time, Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith, but it is obvious that this event strengthened Matthew's faith because he remembered to record it in his Gospel. God still performs great works in our life, and these events can strengthen our faith in him. Let us worship and honor him for his great deeds.

O LORD OF ALL CREATION, you command the winds and the waves, and we who witness your power give you praise. Forgive us for our faithlessness, and strengthen us so that we will trust you through the storms of life. Amen.

How can we know if God is pleased with our worship?

Isaiah 1:13-17 (NIV)                                                                                                                           Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.


The temple of Isaiah's day had ample space around the altar of burnt offering for one to observe another's spirituality. Even the presiding priests might be impressed by the sacrifice of a large, costly animal.

Prophets such as Isaiah were aghast at such showy displays of worship. At times, God swiftly punished prideful, self-centered worship. For example, when King Uzziah tried to offer incense in the temple and lost his temper when priests tried to stop him (Israel was not to have priest-kings like its idolatrous neighbors), God afflicted him with leprosy.

True worship isn't showy. It does not call attention to or glorify the worshiper; it honors only God. It is not a mindless formality either. It is an affair of the heart, characterized by the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16), fervent prayer (James 5:16) and open-hearted reading of God's Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God shows he is pleased with such worship by being present with us.

(This is an article from the Quest Study Bible published by Zondervan)