Embarrassed By Praise and Worship

Have you ever been to church, any church, and there was always at least one man or woman who seemed to be really wrapped up in praise and worship? Like, they were stomping, hollering, waving their hands and just acting like a nut for the LORD? Well, I have. When the Spirit hits my mother, she'll be yelling 'Hallelujah!' for days, rocking side to side, and sometimes she kind of has to just stomp her feet a few times. Growing up and witnessing this quite often, I used to be embarrassed and ashamed to have my mother behaving like this in church front of so many people, people who I often heard snickering, or saw shaking their heads or just showing a look of disapproval, irritation or scorn.

As time went on, however -- specifically after I accepted the LORD Jesus as my Saviour and began to grow in my faith -- I soon stopped caring about what others thought about my mother's display of affection for GOD. After all, isn't that what we were in church to do -- praise the LORD? Not everyone worships the same way and there is no instruction in the Holy Bible on how to exactly express yourself to the LORD when in worship. Some people clap their hands. Some people stomp their feet. Some people waive their hands. Some say 'Hallelujah!' Some do all of these...and some don't do any of these at all. Some folks don't even open their mouths to whisper 'Amen' or seem to can even lift a hand half-way into the air. I know because that's how I used to be. Not only was I embarrassed by my mother's public display of affection for the LORD, but I was super self-conscious about opening my own mouth or even lifting my hands in church for fear of looking, I don't know, foolish? to others. That doesn't even make sense, does it? But that's how I behaved and that's what I thought. But no more, of course.

The Spirit moves all of us in different ways...some of us more than others, and He should since we are worshiping the LORD in spirit. At various instances in the Holy Bible we are encouraged to praise GOD, to exhort his name continually. So why do some people seem to look down on those who praise so freely? Why is it offensive to you that someone wants to jump up and down for the LORD? Now, note that I'm not talking about those taken over by demons or evil spirits who make an open mockery of the LORD and themselves with undignified behavior (I'm referring to those involved with the Toronto Blessing mess...GOD wouldn't have you rolling around on the floor like a dog or barking...show me that in the Bible). Instead of condemning someone for hooping and hollering for the LORD, why not rejoice that there is one who seems to love the LORD so deeply? I mean, who should believers be concerned about impressing or offending?

Think of King David... who danced like a madman in front of the LORD as the Arc of the Covenant was lead back to Jerusalem. His own wife essentially spit on him for behaving like that in public. But what did David care? -- King or not, he was in love with the LORD and he'd praise him however the Spirit moved him.

2 Samuel 6 (New KJV): 12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. 14 Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

16 Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 17 So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. 19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD. 22 And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Note: Image taken from TextWeek.com


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What I've Just Read: David Commits Adultery, Murder

I've been reading the Book of Samuel 1&2 recently, which primarily concerns David, a king of Israel.

If you're at all familiar with his story, you know that Daniel was a man after GOD's own heart -- he loved the LORD dearly, and the GOD loved him from his youth. No doubt you know also about David and Goliath...how David killed the mighty man (the Tanakh doesn't say Goliath was a giant) using only a sling shot. That was the beginning of 'stardom' for young David, as GOD never let him lose a battle (as far as I've read, anyway). GOD gave him a kingship, territories, wives, riches and anything his heart could desire.

But one day, as David was walking on the balcony or roof of his castle, he spied a beautiful woman bathing. He had his servants fetch her. King David and the woman -- whom he discovered was married to one of his soldiers -- had sex and he sent her on her way.

2 Samuel 11 (NKJV): 2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.

Remember, David already had numerous wives and concubines. Also, the Commandments says folks aren't to covet -- desire that which belongs to someone else -- nor to commit adultery. But apparently the very just and wise King David gave no thought to the law.

So everything was going fine until this woman found out she was preggers with the King's baby. Uh-oh. What was David going to do? Fess up and ask his loyal subject and GOD for forgiveness and try to smooth things over? Nope. King David decided first he'd try his hand at some trickery.

He called back the woman's soldier husband from the battlefield and tried to get him to go home...since men who've been away at war for long periods of time want to hook up with the wife as soon as they return...I guess. But the loyal soldier remained at the castle to protect the King. Oh well, that didn't work too great. What now?

David then decided to have this loyal, innocent soldier placed at the front of the battle so that he would be killed. Sure enough, that plan worked. So David brings the newly widowed woman with child into his home and plans to go on with life as usual after having just committed sins of adultery, lust, coveting and murder. However, GOD wasn't going to turn a blind eye -- kings, common folk, priests, prophets, etc. aren't exempt from His law.

So GOD judged David by killing the baby and cursing his house with violence. Overtime, one of David's male sons raped his half-sister; another son killed that brother in revenge; the murderous son eventually seizes the kingdom from David, who ends up on the run. How far the mighty have fallen!

As I was reading these passages, I kept wondering how David could have so easily sinned, so easily forgotten his GOD's laws. After all, he was the one his servants came to for judgment and settling disputes, and his decisions were usually righteous and fair. What on earth was he thinking by taking another man's wife and then murdering the man? He could have had any other woman on the planet! Now GOD had to take him low for him to regain his right standing with the LORD.

But we all do that, don't we? We're not so different from David. We say we love the LORD, yet many of us still have yet to kick these nasty, unrighteous, unbecoming habits...like drunkenness, greed, cursing, lusting, fornication, cheating, stealing, lying, etc. None of us are perfect, but goodness, if you can't be distinguished from the rest of the world then what kind of Christian are you? That is the whole point, after all, isn't it? To separated from the world because you do not do as the world does. You do as Jesus the King does...live a clean life.

Is there anything in particular that you're trying to change in your life to improve your walk with GOD? As for me, I'm trying to work on my temper...I have too many knee jerk reactions to some things that should be handled with a bit more maturity and calmness.

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