At His Feet

Amos 5:21-24 - Think about this for a second.

Amos 5:21-24
"I hate all your show and pretense - the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, and endless river of righteous living."

-> Want to hear something that will blow your mind?

God does not care about traditions.
Has your mind exploded yet?

Let me explain: Everything God written down is important; tithing is important as well as attending church but the main thing that God wants us to look at is our hearts. Where is our heart at and is it cold and just doing religious things just to get it off our check list or are we truly seeking God and seeking to please Him, even when we don't feel like it. When we are cold, are we searching for God because we know only He can warm our hearts back up. 

The Israelite were clearly keeping the traditions in here: they gave tithes, celebrated the festivals, gave offerings and worshiped God through songs and hymns but God saw that their hearts were false. They weren't truly worshiping God because their hearts were harder than titanium. The way they lived was FAAAAAAAAAAAAR from how God wanted them to live so that made all their worship and offerings like soiled rags.

Remember Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13? 
He made it clear that without love, everything we do or sacrifice means nothing.

What God wants from us is love: to see righteous living and justice. He wants our hearts to be soft and open, brings light to the world around us and reflecting the faith He gave us. He wants us to reflect Him, and truly worship Him with how we live every day life. Every day is a struggle and personally, for me, every day I struggle to check my heart. Some days I struggle to even want to love people and do right...that's why I need these words. I need God to dig up the soil in my heart and soften the dirt. I need to be reminded what God wants me to do every day and how to do it. I need these words more than the food in my fridge or the water sitting on my side because God's truths shows me how to be a true worshiper of His. 

It wakes me up.

Remember Jesus: He truly kept the commands because He loved the Father and the people. Didn't He say those were the two greatest commands?

Where's your heart today?
If it is cold and unfeeling, struggling to get even a little warmth in it - then go to God, ask Him to show you what's wrong and seek Him for help. God wants to hear from us, He wants to be asked questions - Pray and also, (very important) open the bible. Read the words of God because that's the main way He will respond and also the main way He'll show us who He is.