What matters to God?

This week, we started with "Do our lives count for God?"
We then changed the question to "How can we make our lives count for God?"
How can we live, so that our lives make a difference for Him?

A lot is said today about "relevance."
To condense it, we could say that if something is relevant, it "matters."
It's important.
It has weight; it has value.
Many things seem important to us. Are they the same things that are important to God?
Let's look at our chapter and see if we can discern some things that "matter," and determine ways to commit ourselves to those things . . . .

Right in the first verse of chapter seven, we see the first thing we'll discuss that matters to God.

After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed.  (v 1)

So, let's condense this into one sentence here: worship is important, and matters to God -- just as much as guarding and protecting the city! These men are the first to be mentioned, because the whole reason for Jerusalem's existence was the worship of the God of Israel. Scholars say that the worship leaders may also have been assigned guard duty at the gates. Maybe they took "shifts" at the role. That's cool. No worries there; I don't think there's any issue there . . . maybe that is the start of the concept of pastor-who-works-another-job-when-necessary.  And what's to stop the musicians from practicing or holding choir practices while they were standing guard? (Personally, I love men's choirs, and I can just imagine walking up to the walls of Jerusalem and hearing a men's quartet up on the wall, practicing for worship!)
Guarding the city, and protecting it from invaders was not just so that the peeps inside could sleep securely -- it was so that the worship of God in the restored temple could take place, too!
Worship is important. It matters to God.
While we are here on earth, we have many opportunities (and the Word encourages us) to praise and worship God.

Lord, you are my God;    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago. (Isaiah 25:1)

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;    you are exalted as head over all. (I Chronicles 29:11)

We read in Revelation that a good part of our time in heaven will be spent in praising God. All of us together! Remember that the saints will gather with the angels, the four living creatures, and the twenty-four elders and sing:

 In a loud voice they were saying:“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength    and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb    be praise and honor and glory and power,for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:12-13)

And in the nineteenth chapter, we read:

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:“Amen, Hallelujah!”5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:“Praise our God,    all you his servants,
you who fear him,    both great and small!”
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:“Hallelujah!    For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,    and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean,    was given her to wear.”(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) (Revelation 19:4-8)

As the old hymn says, we will be lost in wonder, love, and praise!
I've heard believers who have honestly questioned this. They wonder if they will become bored? It's sad that people think that (and I don't think we will, since the Bible also says we will reign with Him; we'll have jobs to do!).  I think it will be spontaneous -- haven't you worshiped spontaneously when you see a stunning sunset, or a wee babe looks into your face and grabs your finger, or you view miles of mountains and trees from the culmination of a hike? Those are things that make us think, "How awesome!" and "Praise God for this blessing!"
Praise is worship of God, and the act of praising Him is a testimony to His glory and faithfulness. I think that heaven will be a time of enjoying the presence and beauty of our Savior and sharing it with others there.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  (John 4:23, NIV)

We should worship God in a way that pleases him .... (excerpt Hebrews 12:28, EXB)

If we want our lives to count for God here on earth, let's practice for when we get to heaven! Let's worship and praise Him!
Worship matters to Him.