So, I have to admit that I am a very big Ohio State football fan. When there is an OSU football game on, I will definitely be glued to the TV screen or next to a radio. Since I played high school football there are many aspects of football that I remember and love being around the game. I unfortunately have to admit that I am one of those fans that gets mad after a loss and won’t talk to anyone for about an hour. My wife confronted me about this after we had been married for a year. I have gotten much better, but I still hate to see those Buckeyes lose!!
I’ve been to many gatherings to watch some of the big football games (we won’t discuss the Clemson game on here!), where we all have OSU gear on, we are yelling, cheering, laughing, and sometimes crying as we watch the game. We go through so many emotions as we root for our favorite teams. The past few weeks I began to think, do I cheer for Jesus the way I cheer for my favorite football team? Do I put my heart and soul into worshipping the Father, like I cheer on Saturdays for Ohio State? I’m not just talking about Sunday morning worship service, but throughout the week as well. The answer to those questions is definitely No!
How many of us go through long weeks at work, pack Friday night and Saturday with business and then gather together as a body on Sunday giving God whatever energy we have leftover. There are so many Sundays where I force myself to get up for church out of obligation rather than because I really want to gather together with my brothers to glorify Him. The more I write this post, the more convicted I feel about this topic. Don’t get me wrong, once I get to church and start worshipping along with hearing the Word, my heart reaches out to the Father and I pour out to Him. Many times my heart is not right before I read the Word, pray with my family, worship on my own, or gather with my brothers/sisters on Sunday morning to worship. I love the Father so much, and think it is important to do the things mentioned previously, but many times my attitude before I do those things off.
Before I worship the Father, I do not always prepare myself before I enter His presence. I am not wearing my “gear” as I enjoy His presence and worship Him. In Ephesians 6:10-17 it says “ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Let’s put our gear on Saint’s!!
Often I do not stand up and “cheer” if I am worshipping Him while in my own home, and I use a quiet voice as I sing to my Father on Sunday morning gatherings (mostly because I have a horrible voice). My voice is definitely heard when I watch those OSU games and I’m clapping every two seconds depending on the game. God wants my best when I come into His presence. He wants us to be “all in” when we come to Him with praise. He deserves to be worshiped; I should be worshipping with a loud voice and with more joy than when I watch some game that really has no impact on my life.
In Luke 19, as Jesus was riding on a colt towards the city of Jerusalem many disciples were cheering “joyfully with LOUD voices for all the miracles they had seen”. The Pharisees were angry and told Jesus to “rebuke the disciples” because of this. Jesus tells the Pharisees “if they keep quiet, the stones will begin to cry out”. Think about that statement for a second. If we do not praise the Lord, then the rocks will begin to praise Him because of how powerful and glorious He is. The disciples not only joyfully praised the Lord, but the scripture point out with loud voices they worshiped Him. I would be lying if I said I knew what heaven is going to be like, but I have a good feeling that we are going to be praising God with very loud voices. We will be worshipping Him not because He is forcing us to worship Him, but because when you are in the presence of the Father you cannot help but fall on your knees because of His glory.
The next time you watch your favorite team play a game, I want you to stand up a cheer as loud as you can. After you watch that sporting event I want you to remember how loud you cheered for that team or person. Then, I want you to do the exact same thing when you are at a Sunday gathering or worshipping with a group of people or by yourself. God deserves our very best. God wants to hear our voices and He deserves to hear our joyful praise because his glory demands it. Otherwise, if we do not praise Him, the stones will begin to cry out. So let’s get up and cheer for the MVP, Jesus!
Peace and God bless!
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