Duty Verses Delight

s many of you prepare for attending a worship service today, I want to ask whether you will attend with a sense of duty or a sense of delight? Many will show up today at a worship service out of duty. They will sit in their same spot. They will give some money when the offering is collected. They will stand when they are supposed to stand. They will sing if they like the song. They will open their Bibles and at least appear to be listening. Sadly all of this can be done and not please God because the heart is not fully engaged and there is no delight in any of it.

Where is the delight? Where is the gladness? Where is the rejoicing when the saints come marching into the house of God? [Ps 100:1-5] really challenged me a few days ago. Phrase after phrase caused me to stop, pray, repent, and readjust my life and priorities.

1. SHOUT JOYFULLY - I have served many churches as pastor and preached in dozens of others over the years. Do you know how rare it is to hear a shout in worship. O, I know in more charismatic circles this is common place. Most of my ministry has been in Baptist churches.So many dead, dry, bound up people not free to shout joyfully in the sanctuary because, "Wd do not that kind of thing here."  There is no shouting in most Baptist churches. Except in business meetings when people get angry and lose their composure. That phrase joyful shouting means to be glad, to delight, to exult, to rejoice. After attending thousands of worship services I can testify I have seen little rejoicing and even less shouting.  That has been true in my life as well.

2. SERVE THE LORD JOYFULLY - Today many people will take their place of service in their church. Some will teach. Some will collect and count offerings. Others will work the sound and video equipment. Some will play an instrument. A few will stand before the congregation to help lead in singing. Others will care for infants and toddlers in a nursery. How many will do these acts of service joyfully? Or to put it another way, how many will serve or minister to the Lord with gladness. Is there any delight in the service or is it all duty. God wants glad service. Joyful service. Delightful service. Not dutiful, resentful, fatigued, and begrudging service.

3. JOYFUL PRAISE - In far too many churches there is a war going on among the older folks and the younger folks when it comes to the style of music preference. The older folks grew up on hymns and those hymns served them well in moments of trials and tragedies over the years. They have sentimental attachment to songs like "Amazing Grace," "It Is Well With My Soul," and "The Old Rugged Cross." Many of these senior saints cut their teeth on songs from the old "Heavenly Highway Hymnbook." Younger folks like new styles of music. They too have sentimental attachment to songs that have ministered to them in different seasons of life. Both sides dig in their heels and begrudgingly tolerate the others' musical preference. Blended serves often turn into resentful services. There is no joyful praise. We forget we are not the audience of worship. GOD IS. HE IS THE ONLY AUDIENCE FOR WORSHIP. We sing to Him. We exalt Him. We magnify Him. We celebrate Him. We boast to Him. He is supposed to be the focal point of worship. Let me ask you this early morning, what style of worship does God prefer? The drums of worshipers in Africa. The symphonic sound of an orchestra and choir The piano and the organ alone? The guitar? A fiddle and a banjo? A full blown praise band? God likes all types of music and styles. He inspired it. God is more interested in the heart. He is interested if we are singing songs from the heart or from the head, do we sing with joy or duty, and do we sing with joyful gladness in our hearts.

God deserves more than duty. He deserves to be the object of delightful, gladsome, and rejoicing worship and service. He demands more from you than just showing up at a worship service. He requires more than going through the motions today. He deserves more than mindless mouthing of words in singing today. He desires more than dutiful service today. HE WANTS OUR DELIGHT. OUR REJOICING. OUR PASSIONATE EXPRESSION OF PRAISE. HE LONGS FOR WORSHIP AND SERVICE FROM THE HEART BECAUSE WE DELIGHT IN HIM.