6 “On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid.”
Ezra 3:6 (NIV)
An effective team defense in basketball bears three communication characteristics:
- Early
- Loud
- Often
Good teams always rep out these “ELO” traits. Effective people before God do the same. Ezra 3:6 highlights this.
EARLY: God didn’t want His people to wait until everything was just right before bringing their burnt offerings to Him. Whether the temple foundation was laid or not, God wanted His people to deal with sin, make things right with Him and man and worship Him faithfully.
This must be our early response too. Right heart always comes before best setting.
LOUD: Many believe that worship should be privately practiced, almost in secret. While this is laudable at times, the Bible also encourages us to worship God openly and unashamedly -- like a man who’s publicly proud to be seen with his wife, or like a Yankee fan who wears his “NY” ball cap unabashedly in the heart of Boston.
Worship is meant to be corporate, communicating, obvious.
OFTEN: When it comes to worship, the right time is any time. “Do all to the glory of God.” Morning or evening (v3), prescribed holy days or holidays (v5), or any given day (v6), God says to bring our worship to Him. It’s not to be confined to a time and place.
Reflect: When it comes to your worship, how much ELO plays out in you? Any adjustments need to be made in your worship game?
A prayer to consider: LORD, I know how critical ELO is to my game. Help me to bring that same approach to my relationship with You. Thank you for playing that way with me. You are the best! Amen.
