Faith Has No Auto Pilot

I had forgotten to take my water when I went to town so I stopped at a gas station to day to get a fountain drink. There was a young gentleman at the counter. As I approached him, he said all the right things. He asked how my day was going, if I found everything I needed, if I had a rewards card to use, if I would like a receipt with my order...? I was impressed with how well he was doing until he asked the next question. He asked me if I would like a bag for my order. I fought hard to keep a straight face, politely said, “No thank you” and then wished him a great day. In case you didn’t catch it, I ordered a fountain drink (with a flimsy plastic lid) and he asked if I wanted a bag for that. I really don’t think he was that foolish. He simply was so committed to what things he was meant to say that he failed to think about what his words meant. How many times have you gone to “church” (instead of gone to worship) and “said” (instead of connected with) the liturgy, “sang” a song (instead of worshiped), allowed your mind to wander during the message, complained about giving (instead of being a joyful giver), or do you say Amen (meaning the prayer is done) or Amen (I am in agreemente with you) etc. I may not have used all the right words, but you get my drift. Like the cashier, we blindly do what we have been taught to do, but it has little meaning. If we share our faith often, sometimes we are more interested in saying our spiel than listening and interacting with the hearer. Why would they care what we have to say if they don’t think we care about them. They become a conquest instead of becoming a brother or sister in Christ. Understand when we go to worship, we come into God’s presence, not into our house. When we pray, it is not a means to find out gossip in other peoples lives, but through prayer, we come into the very throne room of God. God is not distant or unattainable. He is near to you... even in our hearts. If we are guilty of any of the above, what can we do? In church, don’t just listen to the Scripture reading, but read along silently so you are using more of your senses. Don’t just listen to the message, but take notes to make sure you are actively listening. Change how you do it is it gets old. Father, forgive us when we worship without engaging our hearts and minds. Open our minds and speak to us. Amen