Read
Deuteronomy 12:1-7
There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
Verse 7 (NIV)

Reflect
As young believers my wife and I visited many different places of worship. Not all of them were in church buildings but all were with believers. As a matter of fact, not all of the places we visited had services or traditions that we cared for or even understood.

Perhaps some of the places of worship you have visited have not always be what you would have liked them to be. They may have been too noisy; they may have been filled with people who aren’t like us; or they may have had a pastor who preaches sermons we didn’t like.

But real worship, true worship is not about us. God tells his people what makes worship acceptable. In Canaan, the locals were enthusiastic nature worshippers. But God said, “Only the place I choose will be your place of worship.” Israel worshipped God at the tabernacle, and later at the temple in Jerusalem, where God was present.

God is present today wherever people meet in Jesus’ name (Matthew 18:20). You can find his people in any number of churches today. Some also gather on a Wednesday evening or a Saturday night. In some of those places, worship may not be what you would like it to be. But worship is about God, not us. All that really matters is that God is present among his people.

What a privilege we have as believers not to be shackled by geography, tradition, language, or anything else. Wherever and whenever we gather together in Jesus name, we have the privilege of having Jesus presence. If we come with pure hearts and honest hearts, we can be assured of meeting with him in true worship.

Pray
Help me to worship you truly, O Lord, among the people where you are present. May my worship be Christ-centered, focused on you alone. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.