Many Christians get worn out and leave the church or transfer to another church because they are discouraged. They may have worked in a church for years, but, over time, they gradually lost their energy, sense of purpose, heard unpleasant comments or perhaps something else has caused them to just give up. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. A lot of Christians have quit working in the church but still come; they have just lost the joy they once had. Why does this happen? Maybe there were trying to please God with the wrong deeds.
Psalm 50 may have the answer. It tells us that God is watching over us and trying to get our attention to help us keep encouraged. David said to God in one psalm, “Revive us again that Your people may rejoice in Your salvation”. In this psalm, Asaph begins by addressing this type of problem. He says, “the Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and He has spoken; He has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance. Our God approaches, and He is not silent. Fire devours everything in His way, and a great storm rages around Him. He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of His people. ‘Bring My faithful people to Me – those who made a covenant with Me by giving sacrifices’. Then let the heavens proclaim His justice, for God Himself will be the judge. Psalm 50:1-6 (NLT).
Why would God want to judge His faithful people? Are they doing something wrong, something He has commanded them not to do? He says they are faithful people, so why is He judging them? They have not forgotten to honor Him with the necessary sacrifices, have they? Listen to what God says. “O My people, listen as I speak. Here are My charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God! I have no complaint about your sacrifices or burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?” Verses 7-13 (NLT). God is saying He doesn’t need our help. It isn’t that He doesn’t want us to work in the church or among the people of the community; He doesn’t want us pouring so much effort into it that we cannot see the real meaning of why we are working. Paul explains it best in Ephesians 2:8-10 when he says, “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” God is the One doing the work; He is simply giving us the privilege of walking in the work He is doing. Jesus said as much when He said, “If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to Me”. He does the work; it is our responsibility to lift Him up.
Asaph goes on to tell us what God wants us to do that will make a difference in our lives and in the world. Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on Me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give Me glory. Verses 14-15 (NLT). When we offer our thankfulness to God, He is pleased, and we are not dealing with the stress of trying to do something for God. We really get lost in the idea of our importance and what God expects us to do. Paul said in his letter to the church at Corinth about Christian workers comparing them to a garden, “one plants, another waters, but God gives the increase”. Our problem many times is we are trying to do God’s part.
But how are we supposed to honor God? Psalm 47 tells us exactly how to praise God.