Critiquing Or Seeking
You may have heard the one about the conversation that took place while a family was traveling home from a worship service. The adults were complaining about such things as the length of the message, the preacher’s grammar, and other things about the preacher that left a lot to be desired. They also had some derogatory things to say about the song leader. Not only did he select songs that did not meet their approval, he led them too slowly, his pitch was not “right on,” and his mannerisms were distracting. Of course, the men who helped serve the Lord’s supper did not escape a thorough review, nor did the men who led in prayer.
From the back seat of the automobile came a comment that, hopefully, put things in perspective. Their little boy said, “I didn’t think it was a bad show for a dollar.”
It seems to me that our attitude about, and our involvement in, worship will reflect whether we are motivated by a desire to critique or a desire to seek. Let me suggest a few examples of what I mean.
- If I assemble in an attempt to seek a greater understanding of the Lord’s will for my life and a better knowledge of His word, I can overlook the weaknesses of the messenger. I will be focused on the message.
- If I seek to express my appreciation to and for my Lord, that will be reflected in how I personally participate in every avenue of worship during the assembly. The limitations of another person will not be able to limit my own devotion.
I think you get the idea. As I prepare each Lord’s day to assemble with the saints, I need to prepare as a seeker, not a “critiquer.”
It seems to me that this concept is not limited to what happens during the assembly. If I seek to glorify God every day, I will not find a great deal of time to criticize those who seem to be less committed, the apparent hypocrites, etc. I’ll be too busy serving my Lord to spend much (or any) time critiquing them.
Let’s leave the critiquing to others. Let them comment on and critique movies, plays, books, recordings, recipes, etc. They certainly seem to enjoy doing that. Let us seek to be seekers. Our lives and the lives of others will be much richer.
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
