Sin does not need to hinder our worship and our love for God. If we get on our knees, God will show us the dirt. Take the time to allow God to examine your heart and show you the dirt that hinders your relationship with God in worship. Meet God on His terms today with clean hands and a pure heart.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in His holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

Who does not lift up his soul to what is false,

And does not swear deceitfully.

Psalm 24:3-4

     Worship is the most incredible opportunity God has given to humankind, but there is a condition.  It must be on God's terms.  First, one must have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus who died on the cross shedding His blood that we may have forgiveness of sin.  Second, as a believer in Christ, one must worship God with clean hands and a pure heart.

     Worship, put in its simplest terms, is an expression of one's ultimate love for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  I find this principle first in Deuteronomy 6:5, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."  But love is always demonstrated in an expression or act.  "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)."  Another dynamic to worship is meeting with God.  Sin has separated us from God, but through Jesus we are reconciled to Him.

     Worshipping God should be our desire, but sin in one's life can be a hindrance.  I was surprised to learn in my thesis research that many evangelicals do not understand the purpose of worship.  In fact, many who attend worship services will leave without the sense that they have met God.  One reason may be that the worshipper is approaching His holy place with unclean hands and impure heart.  Sin will hinder our worship, but it does not have to hinder it.

     A few years ago, I overheard a conversation at work.  Two of my co-workers were talking about various jobs they held in the past.  One woman mentioned that she worked for a company that cleaned homes and offices.  She recalled a time when her boss asked her if she had mopped the floor.  Quizzically she answered yes. 

     "Did you get down on your knees?" she asked.

     "Down on my knees?"

     "Yes, you have to get down on your knees in order to see the dirt."

     Sin does not need to hinder our worship and our love for God.  If we get on our knees, God will show us the dirt.  Take the time to allow God to examine your heart and show you the dirt that hinders your relationship with God in worship.  Meet God on His terms today with clean hands and a pure heart.