Cheap Flattery

As a teacher, I have learned to be very tolerant (notice I didn't say patient).  Well, even teachers have buttons.  Our goal is to make sure that those buttons are never revealed to our students... because they WILL push them!  So, while this probably began innocently enough, one of my students started commenting on how I looked as I came in the door for school each morning.  On the 4th or 5th morning in a row of hearing him say "Mrs. AimClaim, you look beautiful this morning", I finally snapped.  "No I DO NOT Billy!  When you say that every morning, it loses it meaning and just becomes rude.  Essentially you are telling me that I don't look beautiful."  He kind of just stood there with open jaw for a second and then he smirked as he realized the red flashing button that he had just discovered.

While Billy still continues to push my flashing red button at least once or twice a week,  God has revealed something important to me through this annoying interaction... The Lord doesn't appreciate cheap flattery any more than I do.  He wants real worship... not fake worship.  When I go to church out of obligation... I am a faker.  When I pray a recited prayer... I am a faker.  When I sing a praise song without even processing what the words mean... I am a faker.  Not only am I a faker,  I make the Lord angry with my insincerity.  The longer I feed him cheap flattery, the genuine flattery loses its meaning.  In Psalm 138:1 it says "I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee."  He doesn't want me to praise him with some of my heart, or half of my heart or even alot of my heart... he wants me to worship with the WHOLE DANG THING!

My God deserves that kind of praise... doesn't yours?