Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Respectful and Reckless What does it look like to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength? It should look like worship, because loving God is the essence of worship. But what does this kind of worship actually look like? I'll submit to you that wholehearted worship will look both respectful and reckless. Worship needs to be respectful, and it should never be dishonoring to God or call attention to oneself. I sometimes see this when a guy is out to impress a special lady at church with his "spirituality." He has his arms raised high, he's shouting out praises at the top of his lungs, and he's the center of attention-just as he planned. But unfortunately he isn't worshipping God, and what he's doing is actually an abomination in the Lord's sight. Our worship needs to be respectful; a certain standard of conduct must be observed because we're offering ourselves to a holy and righteous God who sees the motivation of our heart. However, worship also needs to be a bit reckless. By reckless, I don't mean out of control or unruly. What I mean is that we need to be willing to step outside of our comfort zone when we sense God calling us to do so. I remember visiting a very exuberant church as a new Christian. I noticed that everyone raised their hands once the worship music began to play. Deep down I sensed that I was supposed to join in, but to be honest, I was a bit embarrassed. God knocked on my heart and revealed that He was calling me to step outside my comfortable box and worship Him in way that was reckless-at least by my standards. I finally did and found the blessing that comes from simple obedience. Let's be sure that our worship is respectful and reckless. May we have an awareness of God's majesty that keeps us in a reverent attitude towards Him. And may we be willing to leave our comfort zone when God calls us to a greater level of expressing our affection to Him. -Bob Coy Senior Pastor, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale What does it look like to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength? It should look like worship, because loving God is the essence of worship. But what does this kind of worship actually look like? I'll submit to you that wholehearted worship will look both respectful and reckless. May we have an awareness of God's majesty that keeps us in a reverent attitude towards Him. And may we be willing to leave our comfort zone when God calls us to a greater level of expressing our affection to Him. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?