Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: but in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee. | ||
| Deuteronomy 12:13–14 | ||
| “Tear down their altars. Cut down their groves. Destroy their high places,” God declares. “Instead, go to the place I tell and there you shall worship Me. There you shall bring your tithes and offerings to Me. There you shall make your vows to Me. There you shall seek Me.” Where was “there”? Jerusalem. “Why do we have to tithe? Why must we go to church on Sunday? I’m going to do what I want to do,” some people say. But theirs is a wilderness mentality. They might be sincere, but God says once we have crossed into the Promised Land - which speaks of the Spirit-filled life, the deeper life, the productive life, the fruitful life - it’s not up to us what to do. “Our fathers say we are to worship on Mount Gerizim, yet you Jews say we are to worship in Jerusalem,” the woman at the well said to Jesus. “In reality,” Jesus answered, “the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth” (see John 4:23). Why do we get together and worship the Lord with uplifted hands, on our knees, at His Table? Because we’re worshiping the Lord in spirit. Why do we go through the Bible month after month, year after year, decade after decade? Because we’re worshiping Him in truth. Pastor Jon Courson | ||
