In the midst of some continual education studies with Nelson Searcy, he made a statement that froze me when he said it. "There is no room for worship on Sunday unless you empty yourself during the week."
People filled with worship, people experiencing overflowing amounts of worship, who are unwilling to empty themselves through service opportunities find themselves going to future worship celebrations not out of necessity but out of opportunity. When you go to worship out of necessity you do not critique what you're experiencing because you just don't care what you're experiencing but who you're experiencing in that moment. Any moment acknowledging the presence of God is amazing when you're spiritually spent! Best illustrated by mission teams who sit on tree logs, outside in the heat, for hours not understanding a word that is said but you know God is in that place and it is refreshing and renewing to your faith. On the other hand, when we worship out of opportunity and we haven't spent ourselves spiritually, we walk into worship celebrations not needing the experience. Therefore, less worried about meeting God and unfortunately available to think about music choices, sound issues, singers hitting notes, it's too cold or it's too hot, and the inevitable sermon that is too long! Spend servants make great worshippers!
Think about how you will be walking into worship this Sunday... in desperate need of more of God because of what you poured out and into others this week or satisfied and filled hoping everything's perfect! The first will bring you into the room looking for nothing but God. The second will bring you into the room looking at everything but God. Ask yourself, just as I'm going to ask myself... am I empty enough to worship today!?!
