A Heart That Is True
Psalm 119:2 bibrefpsalms119 bibrefpsalms119v2 states, “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.” The Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7 bibref1samuel16 bibref1samuel16v7), it is His work to give new hearts (Ezekiel 36:26 bibrefezekiel36 bibrefezekiel36v26), and He causes His love to be poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5 bibrefromans5 bibrefromans5v5).
A great danger to a people who know that they must worship is to substitute, whether by apathy or by calculation, the motions for the motivation. The Lord warned His people over and over that heartless worship was an abomination to Him.
> And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” (Isaiah 29:13–14 bibrefisaiah29 bibrefisaiah29v13 bibrefisaiah29v14)
Instead, we ought to sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in [our] hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16 bibrefcolossians3 bibrefcolossians3v16). We who were once slaves of sin “have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which [we] were committed” (Romans 6:17 bibrefromans6 bibrefromans6v17). We worship and we do our work “not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6 bibrefephesians6 bibrefephesians6v6).
So how is your heart? Let us make sure that we draw near to God in worship with a hear that is true (see Hebrews 10:22 bibrefhebrews10 bibrefhebrews10v22).