This past Sunday morning was great. I had such a good time leading worship. Man, the congregation was singing and they were so excited about some of the things that we sang that they couldn’t decide whether to sit down or stand up. It was lots of fun. I’ll tell you why it was fun for me; because I got to do it, not because I had to do it.

My brother and I used to fight, occasionally. I was seven years older and we’d get into some tiff over a game or the TV or who was going to lay on the couch. Anyway, my parents would always step in at the appropriate time and make us say we were sorry and hug. I hated those hugs. I hated them because I had to hug Phil, not because I wanted to hug Phil.

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” “With your lips you draw near to me but your heart is far from me.” “True worshippers must worship in Spirit and in Truth.”

“God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” (John Piper)

Carla does not want my affection out of a sense of obligation. That feeling is mutual. Noone wants anyone to love them because they feel they have to or because that want something in return. We all want the affection of others out of a desire for joy and a deep yearning for love in return. We all want to be loved for who we are.

Isn’t God the same? Does He not want us to come to Him because we want to, not because we have to? So when’s the last time you went to worship longing for joy and anticipation? How about your prayer life? Do you go to your knees or open up your Bible with excitement and desire? Do you think that God is honored or glorified when we come to Him because He said to or because we feel that we’ve got to. “To heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Samuel said that to Saul. Saul had just offered a sacrifice that he wasn’t supposed to make but he thought he had to. He’d disobeyed Gods’ command, brought an unacceptable gift, and offered it out of obligation. Heed is the key word for me in the rebuke of Samuel. The word means “to pay close attention”. God wants us to pay close attention. I pay close attention best to those things that I love most. Don’t you?

Pay close attention to God. That’s what everyone wants. That’s what my wife wants, my close attention. That’s what my students want when they talk to me. That’s what my mom wants when she calls me. That’s what I want from the lady at the drive through window at McDonalds. It’s what you want from God.

Aren’t you glad that God loves you because He wants to and not because He has too? Don’t you think that is the highest compliment we have ever been payed? Jesus came out of love for us and for the Father. He did not have to go to the cross but He chose to go to the cross. “This is love, not that we loved Him but that He loved us and gave himself…”

So heed. Pay close attention. Stop going to church if you can’t go for joy. Don’t offer God anything out of obligation. Until you can pray or read or sing because you want to then don’t do it. It’s an insult to God. It’s demeaning. Draw near to Him because you want Him, not because you want something from Him.

If I bring Carla roses on our anniversary and she askes me why I bought so many and I say “because I figured that you would be mad if I didn’t and I’d like to have some private time with you later and I thought this would put you in the right mood” how likely is it that I’m going to get anything from her but a dirty look? What if, when she asks me why, I say “my heart wouldn’t let me do anything less, nothing makes me happier than seeing you smile”? I’m going to get …. you know.

God wants our love. He wants it because we believe that nothing would make us happier. And the truth is, nothing ever will.