God is Not Impressed with Our Routines

Today, I’m off my game. I’m a creature of habit, if anything, and nothing is going as I’d planned. And you know what? That’s okay. We create routines for ourselves so that we know what to expect. We want to make things comfortable, and, so, predictable. But what if that’s not how we were meant to live? Don’t get me wrong: there’s something good and healthy in routines, but our routines can end up ruling over us, if we’re not careful. How often have we fought or, at best, been annoyed with someone because they were in the way of our regularly scheduled line item? How often do we let one or two things throw our whole day off because we are not on schedule?

In the same way, why do we make worship routine?  We have a way things should be done, a set schedule and order, and if it is not like we prefer, we tend to get thrown off. As a matter of fact, when we make worship of God a routine, or part of a routine, we nearly push him out of it, and make it about us. Consider Israel and Judah in the Old Testament, or the churches Paul wrote to, for example. How often did they replace true, genuine worship for routine? They worshipped God on the feasts, festivals, sabbaths and new moons, but their hearts were not with Him. In the same way, God is not in our routines. He’s not impressed with our tithes or our offerings and we can’t present a polished enough service to Him, especially if our hearts are far from Him.

God did not send His Son to die on a cross for our sins, be buried and rise on the third day just so we can make Him our business as usual! Jesus died to reconcile us to the Perfect will of God. There is nothing routine about that! Jesus doesn’t want to be a part of our schedule; He reconciles us so that He can be the center of all things. God is not impressed with our routines. He wants our hearts, and if our hearts are not right, our worship means nothing.

Matthew 7:21-27

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Matthew 15:1-9

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Philippians 2:1-11

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.