Spiritual Practices: More than an Obligation 

Several times recently I have heard one of those advertisements on the radio that concludes with someone rapidly reciting some kind of legal statement or disclaimer. You have probably heard them at times on either TV or the radio. The spokesperson talks so fast that you can’t make out anything that is being said. The purpose of such a practice seems to be merely to fulfill a legal obligation or to guard against liability. The statement is included simply because it is required or necessary. Therefore it is done as rapidly as possible so as to take up the least amount of valuable time. It doesn’t matter to those producing the material if anyone understands it or not. The only concern is to meet a requirement. Television ads often accomplish the same thing with their extremely fine print at the bottom of the screen. No one can easily read it, but they fulfill their obligation by including it in the commercial.

 We need to be careful that we don’t fall into a similar mindset concerning the Lord, our acts of worship, and our service for Him. It probably didn’t start out that way. After putting our trust in Jesus for salvation, we likely were motivated to follow Him with hearts full of gratitude and love. It was a joy to get together with other believers to worship Him. It was an adventure to explore the truths of the Bible. It was exciting to come before an Almighty God with our prayers and to see how those prayers made a difference. It was a blessing to go out into the world to serve the Lord and be a witness for Him.

However, if we are not careful to cultivate that relationship, over time some of those practices can degenerate into little more than that hurried disclaimer at the end of a radio advertisement. We still perform the same actions, but for different reasons now. We go to church to worship not so much out of love for the Lord but because it is expected and we have responsibilities to fulfill there. We read our Bibles so that we can check it off our list that we have had our devotional time for the day. We say our prayers, maybe not reciting them as rapidly as those radio spokespersons, but hardly thinking about what we are saying as we try to get through it to move on to our other tasks for the day. We still are involved in some kind of ministry, but it seems like more of a burden to us than a privilege.

In one of his epistles, Paul confronted the Corinthian church about their practices regarding the observation of the Lord’s Supper. This meaningful ritual, along with the fellowship meal that often accompanied it, had been allowed to become no more than an occasion for people to overindulge. Instead of it being a reminder of the unity of the church, there was a spirit of selfishness prevalent that led to division within the church. They were still observing the practice, but not for the right reasons or with the proper motives.

Let’s take a look at our own hearts in connection with our spiritual practices. Are we simply going through the motions or is it a meaningful part of our life? Are we hurrying through our times of worship, Bible reading, and prayer just to meet God’s requirement? Are we watching the clock or thinking about what is next on our schedule instead of focusing on the Lord and our time with Him?

Maybe we need to reconnect with the Lord, renew our love for Him, and serve Him with gladness. Don’t just fulfill an obligation. Do what you do out of love for Him.