PRAISE AGAIN

Some people treat praise as some kind of performance. An act you do that takes on some type of spiritual mask.

I remember being in this one church where the majority of people where elderly and prone to be more quiet in their worship. It didn’t have much to do with what was in their heart.

They truly loved the Lord as best they could. but honestly didn’t feel comfortable shouting during the worship service. It was their way for many years.

That was until this one person decided if you didn’t praise God in a certain way, it didn’t count. That hardly resulted in anything uplifting moments.

Still, that was hardly what I would call a form of praise that really honor the Lord. It did cause a lot of strife.

To me if the praise is forced or not truly from the heart then it really isn’t praise. It is a lot of things, but not doing what was intended.

I wish that truly was the priority. I wish that seeking to honor God was the real purpose and not to make one’s own desires the truth.

But that is how things often all apart. It is the avenue walked that never ends in real praise.

For if we do not lift each other and spend the whole time feeling bitter and unhappy where is the praise? Where is God honored?

I haven’t noticed too many asking that question. Wish it was otherwise, but it isn’t. Self so often takes priority.

And in that situation the hard feelings really did break up the church. Wasn’t too long till people left.

Which always seems to be the case. Not that churches who grow do it by praising God alone.

That is one of those logic arguments that growth alone is prove of blessings. A nice idea, but not always true.

And what a shame it has to be that way. God truly can do anything, but He won’t interfere with out free will.

Hopefully, along the way, He truly gets honored and afterwards we feel a real joy in praising again. Which is the real blessing.