The question needs to be asked: Are we in danger of worshiping worship?
The mood. The atmosphere. The melody.
The crowd. The emotion. Your favorite worship leader. Your favorite speaker.
The band. The performance. The feeling.
Are we being moved by the right things? Are our hearts aimed in the proper direction?
The problem with our worship culture is that we equate worship with an experience, a moment.
We end up loving worship more than we love God. We end up talking about worship more than we talk about God.
Our culture has made worship an end in itself, rather than what it should be—a way of life with Christ at the center.
But when life is chaotic, what do you turn to? When crises hits your life, what worship songs are you singing?
The Distracted Worshiper
I’m not advocating we create boring, terrible music or rid our gatherings of emotion. This isn’t a time to point the finger, listing all the churches, record labels and artists who are doing it all wrong.
I’m issuing a caution—a warning to guard our hearts from loving worship more than we love God.
Imagine hiring a photographer for your wedding who was so distracted by the scenery that he never took any photos of you and your spouse. Not only would we call that unprofessional, we’d call it ridiculous. As a camera focuses in on a singular object, a special moment, so your life should frame itself around Jesus Christ.
But with good intent, many of us are running around focusing on anything and everything but God Himself. It’s as if Jesus is enthroned before our eyes, but we’re taking Instagram shots of the throne itself.
We’re more enamored by the gifts and talents of God’s people than the Creator of all things.
If we took away the music, the songs and the artists, would we have anything to say to God?
Are We in Love With the Right Thing?
If you were alone in a room with Jesus Christ, what would well up from the depths of your heart? What would you say or feel? How would you respond?
Can you talk about worship music for hours but have nothing to say about who God is in your life and what He is doing?
