What does God really see?

Wow, I should really post more things on this, but I'm digressing before getting started.

So, what does God really see? He sees our heart. While I think many traditions are great, there is no reason they can't be broken. I am unashamed to say that I wear blue jeans to church every weekend, sometimes even shorts (Oh, my!). It is very rare that you will see me in a suit and tie. Will this make some people upset? Most likely, but who do I have to answer to? Jesus.

I remember seeing people dressed in baggy jeans with chains, black shirts, spikes, long hair, and piercings everywhere. Even though they were not dressed in what one would call "church attire," they were at the altar, praising God. I then remember hearing some people say "People like that do not need to walk in our church." That one quote made me want to punch the person in the face (not really, but it did infuriate me). These people could have easily been at a party drinking, out doing drugs, having sex, or doing some other destructive behavior. But they were not, they were seeking the face of God. Their HEART was in the right place.

What people need to realize is WHY we go to church. We go to seek and worship God, not to say "oh I like your tie, that dress is pretty, you should have polished your shoes, why isn't your shirt ironed." Those people go to church for the wrong reasons.

Being in the church all my life and seeing the way things are done in different places, also showed me all the ways God can show up. I'll be the first to tell you, I'm a born and bread Pentecostal Holiness boy. I love my Pentecostal roots, and I love throwdown Pentecostal services. I speak in tongues, and the things that go along with it. But typically, I am not a loud and expressive worshipper. You'll see me with my hands up from time to time, I'll shout occasionally, and shed a tear. But there have been times that I have been standing and raising my hands, and there have been times where I have been dead silent, and I still expierenced God in a powerful way. I am very weary of those who say "If you are loud and shout, you are irreverant." Or the other side of the coin, "If you aren't shouting and screaming and jumping, you are under bondage and are not truly worshipping God." My mother once told me that emotion without devotion is commotion. I truly feel that God enjoys and accepts ALL styles of worships, loud or soft or silent...as long as the HEART is in the right place.

In Acts chapter 2, the phenomenon of Pentecost took place. But something that is also great to do, is to sit down and listen to his still small voice, listen with your heart. Read his word and see what he has to tell you in a quiet place.

No matter how you dress to church or how you worship, make sure your heart is in the right place, and know that God will honor that.