 Hi, this is Pastor David Osales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California. In the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verse 1, Solomon wrote, Walk prudently when you go to the house of God and draw near to hear, rather than give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. This is great insight and encouragement from the wisest man outside of Jesus himself, whoever lived. Solomon had been commenting on what he has seen over his lifetime. He's mentioned that he has seen injustice, envy, loneliness, and the transience of power and popularity. As he witnessed and experienced so many things in life, he had come to see that life under the sun, a phrase intended to communicate a life without God, even if outwardly successful, is simply filled with vanity, a grasping, he says, for the wind. He has now paid a visit to the temple, and while there, he observed the worshipers. As he observed them, he could not help but notice that many were not sincere. He noticed that they would offer sacrifices but didn't keep their vows to God. He saw this as hypocrisy, but they didn't seem to see it themselves. As he noted this, he became aware of how they seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they were offending God. As he observes this, he's moved to issue a warning. Walk prudently when you go into the house of God. Walk prudently is another way of saying, watch your step. Solomon was making it clear that we should never worship God in a careless manner. As he watched them casually approaching worship, he told them to be cautious in their behavior as they approached God. To walk prudently means to prepare our hearts as we come before the Lord in worship. We are to approach the worship of God carefully and not in a casual, flippant manner. This is the right relationship between creature and creator when a humility before him. We are to be humble before him because he is God, and we aren't. The psalmist said it well when he said in Psalm 144 verse 3, Oh Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? The obvious answer is man is nothing in comparison to how great and holy you are. With this in mind, Solomon exhorts those who worship God to do so in a humble fashion. He also makes it clear that we are to come prepared to hear from him. Genuine worship occurs when we have devoted our hearts and wills to him. This is made possible when we have taken time to prepare to meet him in worship. For those of you who regularly attend church services, I would encourage you to resist rushing around at the last minute getting ready to go to church. We should use our time wisely so we can be spiritually prepared to meet with our God. It helps if we can do the practical things ahead of time, if possible. For Sunday services, try to prepare for church on Saturday night by getting the clothes ready ahead of time. Put the kids in bed on time, organize the time it takes to get ready for church, give yourself enough driving time to get there, and do your best to prepare your heart to worship in song and come ready to hear God's word. Well, I can hear some of you now. You're saying this isn't possible. Well, the fact is my wife and I were blessed with four children. We know that it's possible, but you have to work at it. I didn't say it was easy. I do know that it is possible when it's a priority. Well, with that said, Solomon also instructs us to draw near to hear. This speaks of preparing our hearts as we approach God's word in order to hear him speak to us. The word here speaks of a person understanding. It speaks of being obedient or discerning. It speaks of perceiving. It seems to me that many Christians do not realize that when God's word is properly taught, God is actually speaking to his people. This is something many fail to understand. Bible studies simply talks from the teacher's heart, but are in reality times when God himself speaks. In Matthew chapter 10, verses 19 and 20, Jesus said, When they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak for. It is not you who speak but the spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Believers are to carefully approach the Lord as we come to receive from him. We need to remember that we're meeting with the Lord of the universe. And though we can enter into his throne room confidently, we do not come in casually. When Moses first encountered God, God let him know that coming into his presence was not to be done without fear, without reverence. In Exodus chapter 3, verse 5, God said to Moses, Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet for the place where you stand is holy ground. We need to remember that meeting with God is not simply haphazardly approaching him. Yes, he's our Father and we are his children and he has welcomed us to approach him. But the way that he made it possible for us to do so was through the painful and bloody sacrifice of his precious son. This should be the under-girding realization of every child of God that our entrance into his presence came at great cost. And when we understand this, we will actually have reverence as we approach him. In the end, we do not want to give what Solomon refers to as a sacrifice of fools, which is an offering made without obedient faith. He's saying, prepare your heart as you enter into your time of worship. Come with a heart to hear as well as to obey. Remember that God's word instructs and heals. So do not come with an attitude of listening without obeying. In the end, God sees completely through it because only a fool can think that he can deceive God. When you come, come with a heart to hear and a heart to do. And remember, God has said, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God more than burned offerings. Let us not be as those spoken of in Matthew 15, verse 8, where Jesus said, these people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. May we hear and may we obey what the Spirit is saying to the church today. This is Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley.