讀經:馬太福音15章

默想經文:「這百姓用嘴唇尊敬我,心卻遠離我;他們將人的吩咐當作道理教導人,所以拜我也是枉然。」(太15:8-9)

默想一:只要每到主日崇拜在教會唱詩讚美神,聽講道又按時奉獻,就算是敬拜神了嗎?不是的,敬拜不單單是外表的儀式和禮儀,必須建立在人內心與神真實的關係上。口說「感謝主!」心卻遠離神是沒有意義的敬拜。他們就像浪子比喻中的大兒子,身體在家,心卻流浪在外。

默想二:神絕不會悅納的敬拜是什麼?就是那些「用嘴唇尊敬神,心卻遠離神」的人。他們只注意人怎麼講,卻不在乎神怎麼說,他們甚至高舉人,把人的吩咐當作真理,把人的看法當作神的啟示,這樣的敬拜是枉然的。我們千萬不要把人當神來拜,我們「當拜主我們獨一的真神,單要侍奉(敬拜)祂」(太4:10)。我們只敬拜造人的神,不是人造的神。

禱告:感謝神,唯有祢是配得歌頌、敬拜、讚美的神。求祢教導我如何以心靈和誠實敬拜祢。在平時就看重與祢親密的關係。主!我願在任何地方及任何的時段,過一個敬虔而表裏一致的生活。奉耶穌基督的名禱告。阿們!

Bible Reading: Matthew 15.

Insight:  “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” (Mat 15:8-9)

Insight one: During worship service at church every Sunday, as long as we sing and praise God, listen to the sermon and give our offerings on time, does it mean we are worshiping God? No, worship is not just decrees and ordinances. It must be built upon the true relationship between the human heart and God. When one proclaims “Thank the Lord!” yet the heart is far away from God, worship becomes meaningless. It is like the eldest son in the parable of the prodigal son, although his body is at home, but his heart has been wandering far away.

Insight two: What kind of worship that God will never accept? It is those who “honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from God.” They only pay attention to what people say, but they don’t care what God says. They even exalt people, taking man’s commands as truth, and taking people’s views as the revelation of God. Such worship is in vain. We must never worship a person as God. We “worship the Lord our God, and serve (worship) Him only” (Mat 4:10). We only worship the God who created human, not any man-made god.

Prayer: Thank God, You are worthy to receive the praise, the adoration, and the honor. Please teach me how to worship You in spirit and truth. In daily life, I will cherish the close relationship with You. Lord! I want to live a godly and consistent life everywhere and at any time. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

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