Focus Of Worship

JEREMIAH 44 v 1-30

How much of my life is worship to God?

The Jews went to Egypt ignoring God's warning and now God speaks through Jeremiah reminding them what happened last time they worshipped false God's because that is what they intended to do. Did they have a short memory because the reason they are going to Egypt is because their city was destroyed because they hadn't obeyed or worshipped God. Is it just them or are we all reoffenders of the same sins time and time again?

The people were going to worship the 'The Queen of Heaven' with burning incense and drink offerings. This goddess is first mentioned in Jeremiah 7 v 18, she was called Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and fertility. The passage in chapter 44 doesn't just say the men worshipped also the women did their own offerings to this goddess. So small group of people looking to rebuild a nation but they don't want to turn to God so they turn to the goddess who will bring them many children. Do we sometimes put our hope in things or people because they are ones who can solve our problem? When we should be putting our hope and relying on God who will provide the right people or things. The source of true hope is God.

"Where our worship is focused is where we put our hope in."

When we focus on something too much then we rely on that thing to bring me pleasure, comfort and success. Every time there is a World Cup everyone’s focus is on England and our hope is in them to win so we can all have an amazing summer. The reality is some people are like that, to have a good year we need England to win the World Cup and others are just miserable for a few weeks. But I and others begin to worship the team as we follow them on their journey in the World Cup, people in the stadiums sing songs and chant all for a bunch of guys kicking a ball around, imagine if all those people put their effort into worshipping God.

I don't believe football is a problem of worship for me but something’s take up more and more of my time without noticing, to avoid focus wandering I believe I need to evaluate myself regularly. I think the few times I am distracted by other things, then God brings me back, he gives me warning signs. The people were just up for full on rebellion. 1 Corinthians 10 v 14-22,  ¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. ¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?" We can't be in both camps. God doesn’t want us to sit at his table and eat with him, then go and eat with the enemy. God isn’t some jealous kid when he doesn’t get all the attention, he only wants our attention so he can make us into great people who are doing what he has called us too and so he can give us gifts. If anything we (as people) are the child wanting all the attention. Worship is a humbling experience, that is why we should do it more. We can't be in worship of two things which some Christians want to do, but to live life to the full we have to give all our worship to God.

The world chooses to worship other people or fake god’s; but if people knew the source of worship (God) then how would their perception, methods and direction of worship change?