Do I really care?

This post is another inspired by another preach I heard at Rocknations Conf 1 2016.

Chad Veech spoke on original Hebrew and Greek words used in the bible for praise and Worship.

Very briefly, just to offer a small reference point, here are the words and meanings.

BARAK - To kneel or bow  showing adoration, a blessing. This is easily visualised, when we think of praying we often think of being on the knees and placing palms together.

ZAMAR - Singing along with instruments for music of praise. Again, hymns, praise and worship music are something that most of us are familiar with, whether we are Christian or not.

YADAH -  to hold out/ raise hands, to let go of something, to basque in the Lord love and Grace

TODAH -  raising hand/hands to God in adoration, sacrifice of praise and to give thanks

TEHILLAH -  to worship in song spontaneously

HALLAL -  to rave about, to be boastful about Gods glory, to be perceived as foolish by other humans in your worship for God

SHABACH -  a loud form of  worship,  to shout praises, exclamation!

This got me thinking about how I praise, and when I show worship to God, how much of me is thinking about what someone else will think. It is like anything, the hardest thing to do is to begin. The journey of life and the journey of a Christian will never be easy, but you always have to break through first. Its the voice in your head that makes you feel 'embarrassment' when you are praising.

People who now praise with their hands up, there is a set of steps that I have observed and have done myself before we quiet our own heads.  Its starts with palms open, facing down, which slowly raises to one hand facing up, but close into the torso, like you know the answer to a school problem, but don't want the teacher to see or ask you.  But Jesus sees the judgemental part of ourselves,  and asks us to follow, reminding you there is no shame in pure love.

Where did all the judgement come from? Especially in my part of the world, there is always a negative mindset pushing against any definite choice.

"What you doing that for?" 

 It can be from anything from a change of beverage or even a hairstyle. Anything that gives you temporary joy. This quite often stops that decision being repeated and haunts other decisions to come.

I have heard this spoken to myself, to others I love, to strangers in passing, and I think it is the most nonsupporting phrase, it is rarely followed by positive phrases like "How are you going to make it happen?" "What can I do to help?"   

And so I ask myself, and urge you to ask yourself, answering honestly, do I really care about following Jesus Christ less than I care about the other stuff? 

If it is No, he is the most important, then remember that God holds you, the other stuff will be looked after by Him. 

If it is Yes you care about stuff more, and you consider yourself a Christian, you have to let your self-preservation to be approved of man go, and stop caring about the judgements of others. God holds you too, but he is hurt by fair-weather friends.

God doesn't care if you go to church every Sunday, and dress like you think a Christian should dress, if you don't strive to follow Christ in your life. He loves you if you are covered in tattoos, he loves you if you have sinned (no one Jesus, so no one is perfect and without sin), and want to come home. Don't think you have to get your life sorted before you listen to the Teacher, he's teaching you how to sort your life. Such silly humans that we are, always doing things backwards.  

Thank you for reading. :)