Vain Worship?

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain..." (Matt. 15:8-9a, Isaiah 29:13)

We are getting ready to head to the Newsong Festival this Saturday. As I thought about the music and how it will be enjoyable to listen to "our" style of songs. I wondered if we have become focused on the bands and not the lyrics. Entering the festival you will notices different groups playing while youth and adults jump up and down (me included). The question is : Why are we jumping up and down? Is it because it is a natural reaction the the beat and sounds? Or is it because we are so focused on the meaning of the songs that brings praise to our father? I will leave you to answer that question on your own. I already know my answer.

I then thought man we need to get the youth of today just as excited to be singing praise songs at church as they are at concerts. My mind raced on how we could do that. Then......There was a still small voice in my head that hit me hard. The question was : What do you do when the older Southern Gospel songs are played at church, conferences or on the radio? My answer was : My first response is I don't like it because it is not "my" kind of worship. Then after I think that I either change the channel or tune it out. The second question came to me : So what you are saying is that you can only worship me with "your" style of music? Man did that hit home. We don't go to God in worship under our conditions. We go to God in worship. Wither it be southern gospel, contemporary music or any other type it is not about us. It is all about who he is and the focus is on him. The minute we do any thing else is the minute we don't fully experience true worship and worship in vain. Man has God revealed something to me. I now will enter his presence with the understanding that the blessing is just to worship.