Our Words and Worship Must Match

 There’s a game I really, really love called dominoes. And in this day and age there’s an app for that. Somebody introduced me to that recently and I’ve been using it a lot these days.

You know dominoes. Start with double six or the highest double. Each player then matches their tiles with either end of the domino chain. The player who plays all their tiles first or reaches a specified point total, wins the round or the entire game. 

Matching is crucial here in order to win.

We speak a lot, most times vocally or audibly, we use our voices and we can be heard. Even the dumb speak, if you really check it out, because they do sign language or their actions would communicate for them.

Our actions very often would match our words, or our words would match our actions. Most people however, do not in fact say what they mean nor mean what they say. These people are smooth talkers who it seems just  talk for talking sake, but they don’t live up.

Therein Family, lies one of the problems in Christendom - for many Christians, their words and worship do not match. 

We know worship is not about who can shout the loudest hallelujah, neither it’s about who can pray the longest and most eloquent prayers. Worship is a lifestyle. It is living the life God wants us to live and yes matching the words we preach about, for we are all preachers in the broadest sense of the word. Amen?! We all minister the Word of God by our words matching our worship. 

I used the analogy of the domino game to bring home the idea of matching, but we dare not trivialise our call to worship and our duty to watch our words as we go through this life.

On this journey through life, as Christians, the words we speak must match what we believe and most importantly who we believe in, Jesus Christ and His teachings. Our words and worship must match. There must be a connection between what we profess and how we live.

Psalm 19:14 tells us that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts must be acceptable in the sight of our Lord, who is our strength and our Redeemer.“

I’m referencing the New King James Version of The Bible throughout this exhortation today.

Colossians 3:16-17 ”Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.“

Family, our words and worship must match. There must be a unified expression as we glorify God. One accord. It cannot be do as I say and not as I do. That cannot work. If we live like that, it is a serious misrepresentation of the example Jesus gave as He walked this earth.  

Jesus preached the Word of God at all times and He matched that up by going around doing good!

Acts 10:36-38 ”The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.“

So scripture reminds us Family, that true worship involves not only our words, but also how sincere we are. This is no joke business. We cannot be fake in our Christian walk. It will catch up with us eventually. 

What we do publicly should be a continuation of what we do privately and vice versa.  The Bible warns against people whose words don’t match their worship.

Jesus was responding to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 15 who accused His disciples of going against tradition of not washing their hands when they ate. Can you imagine?

And even today, the things people use these days to cast judgement and condemn others?! Even while just a little check of their lives would find them guilty of greater things!?

Let’s read Matthew 15:3-11 ”He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”“

Family, our words must match our worship. There must be more than just talk. We must walk the talk.

James 1:22 ”But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.“

 

We are reminded today Family, that our words and worship must match. So entertaining the latest gossip doesn’t count. Condemning your brother and sister doesn’t count. 

What matters is for us to dwell in the presence of Almighty God in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Then and only then can our words match our worship and become a genuine offering to our Father in Heaven.

Any inconsistency will confuse our efforts to draw people to Christ and create a distortion in our spiritual life. 

So today, let us ensure that our words match our worship, in our homes, on the job and wherever we go.

Therefore, let our words and worship be in unison, creating a seamless expression of devotion. We cannot live by our feelings, rather we must be led by the Holy Spirit.

Family, let us be mindful of the power of our words and our worship, so that we can be drawn closer to the divine presence of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 

I thank God today that I have access to Him, and every day I invite Him to take over my life and transform me into who He wants me to be. 

May that be the desire of our hearts today - to let our words match our worship.

aub - 23 January 2024

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