Two, God had commanded that the Passover be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month. By the time Hezekiah could assemble the people, it was the second month. So the Passover was kept a month late by impure participants. Hezekiah prayed for them:
Lord, You are good... Please forgive all those who try to obey You even if they did not make themselves clean as the rules of the Temple command. — 2 Chronicles 30:18–19 NCV
Do you see the dilemma?
What does God do when the motive is pure but the method is poor?
The Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer, and He healed the people. — verse 20 NCV
The right heart with the wrong ritual is better than the wrong heart with the right ritual.
One time when I was in Atlanta, Georgia, at a conference, I called home and talked to Denalyn and the girls. Jenna was little at the time and said she had a special treat for me. She took the phone over to the piano and began to play an original composition.
From a musical standpoint, everything was wrong with the song. She pounded more than she played. There was more random than rhythm in the piece. The lyrics didn’t rhyme. The syntax was sinful. Technically the song was a failure. But to me, the song was a masterpiece. Why? Because she wrote it for me.
You are a great daddy.
I miss you very much.
When you’re away I’m very sad and I cry.
Please come home very soon.
What dad wouldn’t like that? What father wouldn’t bask in the praise of even an off-key adulation? Some of you are scowling. “Wait a minute, Max. Are you saying that the method we use to approach God is immaterial? Are you saying that the only thing that matters is why we go to God and that how we approach Him is relative?”
No, that’s not what I’m saying (but I do appreciate the question). Ideally, we approach God with the right motive and the right method. And sometimes we do. Sometimes the words of our prayer are as beautiful as the motive behind the prayer. Sometimes the way we sing is as strong as the reason we sing. Sometimes our worship is as attractive as it is sincere.
But many times it isn’t. Many times our words falter. Many times our music suffers. Many times our worship is less than what we want it to be. God didn’t tell Hezekiah to shut down the celebration. Jesus didn’t tell the blind men to go away. I didn’t tell Jenna to practice a bit more and call me again after she had improved.
The blind men, Hezekiah, and Jenna all did the best they could with what they had—and that was enough.
You will search for Me, God declared. And when you search for Me with all your heart, you will find Me! I will let you find Me. — Jeremiah 29:13–14 NCV
What a promise!
The Heart of the Matter
Focusing on protocol and formality will keep others from Christ.
Blocking access to Jesus results in empty, hollow, and ugly religion.
God cares more about the right heart over the right ritual.
When you seek God with all your heart... you will find Him!
Memory Verse
Your memory verse is Matthew 5:8. Take a few moments to review this verse, and then write it out from memory.
After God’s Own Heart
You’ve passed the church countless times. It’s on your route to work. A large stone structure with stained glass and a manicured lawn. You’ve watched churchgoers walk in and out of its doors every Sunday. But you’ve never been inside.
Why? You’re not a “church” person. But you have recently become a Jesus person and you’re craving Christian community. The beauty of the church, the pristine outfits of the attendees— you fear you won’t fit in. Not with your history. Not with your wardrobe.
Still, you know that Jesus has called you. You need community. The building is right here. And so, one Sunday morning, dressed in your ratty jeans and old sneakers, you follow the other congregants inside, hoping to disappear in the crowd.
Instead, you’re greeted warmly at the front door, and then again when you sit down inside. A child in front of you turns and smiles. Maybe I belong here, you think. Yes, you do.
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