You and Only You

03.13.13

Galatians 4.20 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. (ESV)

Everyone worships something – even those who insist they worship nothing worship at the altar of I Worship Nothing. The reality is we are all wired to worship something greater than ourselves, outside of ourselves, or something we cherish deep within, or about ourselves. The difficulty with worship is it often seems to be driven by the wish to be: if only I could be… When the platform is burning, you want to get off.

Centuries ago, some disciples in Asia, in the region of Galatia, came to that place where they’d been fooled into thinking they were because they did – they worshiped a lifestyle of doing and were not happy with just being: being was strangely freeing but true freedom they’d been told was a result of keeping laws and regulations that gave them a unique identity as those who kept such laws and regulations. It was no wonder their mentor was perplexed about them.

Worship is tricky because it can bestow a false sense of arrival: I’ve made it because I’ve… (wherever and whatever “it” is.) Worship can bestow a false sense of achievement. Worship can promise a lot and deliver a lot – of the wrong stuff. The object of worship is crucial because it defines us. And that is exactly what was going on in Galatia all those centuries ago – and what the mentor was so perplexed about.

Worship will cost the worshiper something. Worship is not free. I know a guy who invested in silver when it was 30-something an ounce only to watch his investment shrink to less than 2-something an ounce. Worship is investment and it pays to invest in the right thing for the right reason.

The Galatian Church had been fooled into thinking their worship of Christ – the Ultimate Freedom – was only real if they kept Jewish ceremonial laws: a real Christian is one who didn’t forsake the Mosaic Law. Or the Levitical Law, or the Pharisaical interpretation of either…or both. And Paul, the mentor maintained that true freedom and real worship were only found by seeking God earnestly, listening carefully, and obeying Him entirely. Nothing else.

Everyone worships something: and rule keeping is one of the biggies. It’s not how much I give, it’s that I give with a heart that says, I know you can use it. It’s not how much I love, it’s that I know everyone needs to be loved and love covers over much. It’s not that I show up at church, it’s that I want to be with you and share life with you.

Worshiping God means nothing – even with many acts of goodness and kindness and generosity – if it’s devoid of love for God and love for people. Rule-keeping centers on me and my achievement: love centers on God and others.

Lord, protect me from “You +…”  It’s You, and only You, and the freedom to me be without fear because of You and only You. Amen.