Silence: Find a quiet place, remove potential distractions, clear your mind of other thoughts, and ask God to speak to you as you read and contemplate this passage:

Reflective Reading: Read Isaiah 29:13-14 and 1 Peter 2:5 thoughtfully:

13 The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Meditation: Reflect on these Old and New Testament writings that describe unacceptable/acceptable worship. What is God speaking to you through this exchange? What is the challenge given in these passages?

Oration: From your reading and prayer, verbalize or write in the space below your response to what God is speaking to you from this passage:

Contemplation: Over the next day, contemplate these passages and what God is saying to you. Think on these topics:

• How closely is your heart aligned to God’s heart? Based on this thought, how acceptable would you say your worship is to God?
• What might be some things that distance our hearts from God? What can we do to more closely align our hearts with God?
• Do you ever find your prayers to be rote or lacking genuine passion for God? Is this a habit or heart issue?
• What actions might this passage be directing you to begin?
• Reflect back on, or reread the week 1 devotions; has God led you to any changes in attitude or practice in your worship?