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Holy Places
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8. The Lord was determined to destroy the walls of beautiful Jerusalem. He made careful plans for their destruction, then did what he had planned. Therefore, the ramparts and walls have fallen down before him.
9. Jerusalem’s gates have sunk into the ground. He has smashed their locks and bars. Her kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands; her lawhas ceased to exist. Her prophets receive no more visions from the Lord.
10. The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem sit on the ground in silence. They are clothed in burlap and throw dust on their heads. The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads in shame.
11. I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken. My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people. Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets. Lamentations 2:8-11
People go to a particular church for many different reasons. For some it’s the architecture of the building. For some, it’s the pastor’s sermons. For others, it’s Sunday School and church programs. In theory, everyone goes to worship God.
It seems as though the people of Jerusalem also went to church—in their case the Temple—for reasons other than to worship God. In Lamentations, Jeremiah reveals why God has “rejected his own altar” (Lamentations 2:7). It has everything to do with the people’s worship practices, and what Jeremiah compares their worship to is startling. As you read, take an honest appraisal of your motives for attending church.
When we go to church and worship God, we should examine our motives for doing so. If we’re there for any reason other than worshiping him, then we need to reorder our priorities for attending church. In addition, we can practice three steps to help us focus our attention on praising and worshiping God. First, we can meditate on God as we participate in the service each Sunday. Second, we can try to ignore the distractions that occur during the service. Third, we can let the service create in us a sense of wonder at God’s greatness and great deeds.
When you attend church, enjoy the fellowship and company of other believers, but also go to worship God with a sincere heart. The sincerity of our worship matters more to God than where or how we worship.
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