Tuesday 8 January 2008

Tuesday Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:1-3
 
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 5:2
2  Do not be rash with your mouth, and do not let your heart be hasty to say a word before God. For God is in Heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.
 
Devotion:
I wonder if you have been to a church recently when someone got up to pray and they made a bit of a scene about it. Maybe you know someone who likes to stand up in front of everyone and pray out loud all the time. Maybe, God forbid, you know a church where that seems to be their goal in life – to be the one that stands up in front of everyone and prays out loud. One simple rule should be followed... if you heart is not in it, don't do it!
 
That may sound a bit harsh, but think about it for a minute. If your heart is not in it to pray, then who are you fooling. You are certainly not fooling God because He will see right through you. We need to go to church to worship God and not to make a scene for ourselves or to take centre stage to perform for people – we are there to worship God and give God all the glory. Period.
 
When you are going to pray, don't just start talking as if you are gossiping with a friend, think about what you are going to say to Him. You are not talking to just anyone! Think about what you want to petition God about, stick to that, make it honest and real! God knows your heart, so jabbering on about anything that you see fit is not going to stick with Him! We dream about worldly things, we make pleasantries here on earth... We should not try that with God – He is not just another person! No matter how much we say or what language we try and say it in, if we don't know what we are talking about we should not be saying it! Reducing God to the level of a gossip pal is not really what any of us would want to achieve, so why do it?
 
Points to Ponder:
First week down... still sticking to things?
 
How about getting more honest with God?