The seconds of firstfruits

I was at Parachute Band last night at my church and God just hit me with this thought. We get together with all these believers for this night of worship, and the opening line is: "Are you ready to worship God tonight?"

Now, to clarify, these guys do not think worship is just music. They talked at length about the importance and seperation between music and worship. They talked about a need to help the needy, be hope to the world, to be salt and light. This is not a rip of the Parachute Band.

However, in the midst of it all, I was left to think. If that is our view, that we are getting together for a night of worship, I believe God challenges us to look at our hearts. I believe that God requires and desires our hearts to be in a spot that our sacrifice of praise in the house of the Lord is not where it ends.

Over and over in the Old Testament God speaks out against the hypocrisy of festivals and praise of the Israelites. Their actions and lives didn't back up celebrating the things that God had called them to do.

But the one example that stood out to me last night was the example of Cain. Cain, who did not offer his best to the Lord but brought him the less desirable parts. It got me thinking. If we have it backwards in our lives and the firstfruits are the times we take for ourselves, or the time that we indulge in ourselves, neglecting both God and those around us that we have been called to love, then the sacrifice of church or songs is unacceptable. It is not enough. It is empty, it is the hypocrisy of our praise and it is not only what God does not want, our praise, much like Cain's sacrifice will not be accepted.

Just my thoughts though.