Yesterday, in our Bible study, we talked about the importance of gathering as a church to worship our God together along with other followers of Christ. Indeed, gathering together is a privilege. It is an honor to worship God on a regular basis. For many, worship has become such a regular part of our language and routine that we forget how sacred and special our time to gather as a church is. This time to come together to worship at church is, indeed, special, and as a result, we must come prepared each week when we walk into church to worship.
Solomon, the man who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, warns us against coming to worship without preparation. He writes in Ecclesiastes 1, “As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few” (verses 1-2). Notice the instruction at the beginning of this passage of Scripture, “As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut” (verse 1). Solomon is instructing us to come prepared, ready to learn and hear from the Lord when we come to church. This means preparing our ears and hearts to listen and hear from Him.
In all scenarios, preparation makes a big difference. This is particularly true in worship. Preparation sets our hearts and minds on God and His church so that we are ready for the teaching and encouragement that He has for us. Preparation allows us to let go of distractions that might keep us from focusing on worshiping and hearing God's word. Preparation impacts our mindset as we walk into church each weekend.
As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5, “God is in heaven, and [we] are here on earth” (verse 2). God reigns supreme in the heavens, and we are mere mortals here on earth. When we enter church, we are worshiping the God of the universe, and we must come prepared to worship before our holy, faithful, worthy, and good God.
Take a moment to reflect on this question, “What does it look like for you to come prepared to worship during the weekend services?” Write down your answers to the question. Before you attend church this weekend, take each step you wrote down to prepare yourself to worship. May God be glorified as you prepare to worship Him with our church this weekend!
1As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.
7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.
8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!
12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.
13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. 14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.
16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.
18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.
