Psalm 50 - Attitude Check

Psalm 50:1, 4-15 (NRSV)

The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.

He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house,
or goats from your folds.
For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the air,[a]
and all that moves in the field is mine.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[b]
and pay your vows to the Most High.
Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalm 50 is instructional. It's instructive liturgy used in worship and religious schools to educate the people of God about the right way to offer sacrifices and offerings. It must be done with a spirit of thanksgiving.

How often do you worship just going through the motions? How has your prayer life become routine and kind of empty? In what ways has your bible study become just another thing on your to do list to check off? When you give money to the church in the offering plate or mailing it in, or an electronic transaction, is it just another bill you're paying? When you celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper (Eucharist/Holy Communion), what is in your heart as you receive the bread and the cup?

How we are inside makes all the difference in how God receives our worship. Americans are catered to constantly by our consumer driven economy. We are told to have it our way. Make your choice! Be yourself! Don't take no for an answer! These marketing efforts speak to our values. We helped to form these "me first" values and we are shaped by them. We approach our Christian communities in the same way. By and large, Americans are more religious consumers, than disciples of Christ. When we bring the "What am I getting out of this?" or "What's in it for me?" attitude into worship, we are already missing the purpose of worship. We are already offending God.

Worship is not all about us. Worship is primarily for God's glory. We inherently need to worship, to give God praise and honor. There is something in it for us, but when our hearts are centered on our need, we fail at the whole prospect of worship.

Would you bring a sacrifice of praise to worship tomorrow? If you are going to please God, you must check your attitude before entering worship. If you are seeking to be pleased, I suppose there will be some Sundays when you walk away unfulfilled, dissatisfied and wondering why you bothered.

It's true God doesn't need your money. The church is God's redemptive instrument in the world. You need to fully support the church as an expression of your love and gratitude for all God has done, and is doing, and will do in your life. So when you give, do it with thanksgiving, and God will be glorified. God will share His glory with you through the Spirit, and throughout all time.