Daily Manna

Deeply immersed in meditation during a church service, Italian poet Dante Alighieri failed to kneel at the appropriate moment. His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Dante be punished for his sacrilege. Dante defended himself by saying, "If those who accuse me had had their eyes and minds on God, as I had, they too would have failed to notice events around them, and they most certainly would not have noticed what I was doing." Failing to kneel when required during worship in some assemblies is an infringement taken seriously. The passage for today’s devotion also contained some liturgical order that the congregants at Israel’s temple were required to observe. Several striking instructions stand out in the order and reverence in the temple worship. No one was to leave the temple through the same entrance they came in during the solemn feasts. The prince was to be in the midst of the worshippers as they came in and exit the temple. Worshippers were also commanded to adhere strictly to the offering requirements every morning and evening, and during the Sabbath days. Approaching God in worship should not be done irreverently and frivolously. Church should not be used as a venue for social and economic activities. Reverence for God should require that we listen attentively to His words, meditate and apply the lessons to our lives. There is punishment and severe consequences should we turn the sanctuary of God into a centre for immoral practices. Neither should we wear strange apparels into His temple. The prevailing wild and indecorous so-called praise worship in many assemblies today is completely dysfunctional and injurious to the Holy Spirit who is gentle, meek and mild. Even so, a prolonged worship session at the expense of breaking the bread of life can drain the soul of the vital elixir for life and godliness. True worship and praise of God must be conducted in absolute holiness, decency, and orderliness presented as a sweet-smelling savour for it to command blessings from on High. Thought for the day Never leave the Lord’s presence the same way you came