Worshipping God Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
...it or not, the fitting thing to do is to give Him praise and honor and glory. Psalm 33:1 says Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him." That’s why we’re here. Another reason why you should worship the Lord whether you feel like it or not is because He’s the One who made you. Psalm 100:3 says "Know that the Lord is God, it is He who made us and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture." It’s always fun to see athletes celebrate after they score points. When Tiger Woods makes a putt, he pumps his fist into the air. When Javon Walker gets a touchdown, (which isn’t happening often enough right now) he does the Lambeau Leap and jumps into the stands. But sometimes when a player scores a touchdown, instead of doing some crazy dance, he gets on his knee, and bows before the Lord. I take that gesture to mean, "Lord, You’re the One who got me here. You’re the One who made me. I believe in you." This church service is a chance for us to say these things. Let’s face it: Life is such a ratrace. We hardly ever take time to catch our breath. Let alone take time for God. Here, we can do both at the same time! There’s a story in Luke 17 where Jesus healed ten lepers, and only one of them came back to praise God. I can’t tell you what was up with those 9 other dudes. But we need to be like the guy who came back. We need to stop what we’re doing once in a while and praise the Lord for what He’s doing! We need to show a little appreciation. And that leads to the third reason why we should worship God whether we feel like it or not. Because we have a lot to be thankful for. Verse 4 says "Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name." Peace Church has a lot to be thankful for this year. The new sound system. The wheelchair lift. The air conditioning system. But even more than that, we need to thank God for all the things we take for granted. Thank God that the kids here at Peace church are healthy and happy. Thank God that the terrorists haven’t been able to launch another attack on American soil. Thank God that we live in a country where we have freedom of speech. Freedom of expression. Freedom of religion. Maybe you’re thinking, "Well, what about the people down in Florida who got hit with 4 hurricanes in a row. They don’t have anything to be thankful for." Oh yes they do! Number one, they can be thankful that they’re still alive! You can always replace a damaged roof. Or a broken window. Or a demolished house. But you can’t replace a human life. Number two: They can praise God that they don’t get four hurricanes back to back very often. It’s very rare for that to happen. And number three: We all can thank God that even if we lose every material possession we ever had, we would still have God! There’s an old story about the Bible scholar Matthew Henry. One day, he got robbed. But he was the kind of guy who always found something to be grateful for. So in his diary that night, this is what he wrote: "Let me be thankful -- first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life; and third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "Give thanks IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES." Not just when things are going well. But even when things aren’t going well. It’s one of the greatest ways we can worship God. And the fourth reason why we should worship God even when we don’t feel like it is because God is good. Verse five says "For the Lord is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues throughout all generations." God is good even when we’re NOT good. God is loving even when we’re not loving. God is faithful even when we’re not faithful. And He’s not just that way to us. Verse five says He treats all generations that way! God is good and loving and faithful to everyone! Maybe you’re thinking, "...