Team Spirit

"make a joyful noise to The Lord." (Psalm 101: 1, Psalm 98: 4)

Growing up, I was in choir, so I didn't mind singing. I wasn't great, but wasn't horrible. As an adult, I didn't sing unless I was in the shower or in the car alone. Or so I thought...

If you've never been to LCC, we have a full rock band & they play modern Christian music. There's people clapping, whistling, raising their hands, etc. The music is so loud that you can't hear the person next to you singing or even yourself. Even then, I wasn't singing, was mouthing the words, or was whispering the words with my hands in my pockets. My excuse not to physically worship or sing loudly was that everyone can worship differently & I was technically making a noise. It was just a quite noise. (Wimpy right?)

Earlier this fall, my friend invited me to an OSU game with him. If you've never been to "The Shoe", you clap when the band comes out, sing various fight songs, cheer for the Buckeyes, & make the letters O-H-I-O out with your arms. (See where I'm going with this yet?) Needless to say, I did all those things without a second thought on that Saturday.

The next morning during music worship, the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to me and said, "You will sing loudly, clap, & raise your hands for a football team, but not for the Lord?" From that second forward, I've raised my hands, sang loudly, & even worked up a sweat during music worship because I want to show The Lord how grateful I am that He made me one of His children!

I challenge you to worship outside of your comfort zone.  This isn't about being part of the group, doing what your neighbor does, or even what makes you feel good.  It's about showing Christ that you are thankful.
(Tip: Close your eyes)