BEYOND RELIGIOUS FORM

MAR. 3RD.
TEXT: 2 Timothy 3:1-5King James Version (KJV)
3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Spirituality is more than religious associations and rituals. There is much more to it than meets the eye.

CONTEMPLATION
Most people who have been able to discern that the true need of their soul is spiritual, often end up in a religious form and it is most unfortunate to call that worship.
“That which is unable to quench the thirst of the soul is not qualified to be called worship. If it is simply rules and regulations without a divine intimate relationship that transforms the soul, it is not worship." (P. xviii).
If it is more than religion, when it is all over you will have clarity and true satisfaction. Mere religion offers temporal escape from troubles, but true worship reveals the way out. 
Religious devotion is motivated by fear, hence the endless rituals and activities to avoid the anger of a deity, but true worship is motivated by an intimate relationship which stirs up songs of adoration and all kinds of prayer.

PRACTICAL ISSUES
What is the motivation behind your worship? Is it a mere religious affiliation or an intimate relationship with God?
Is your worship experience impactful enough to satisfy the true craving of your soul or is it just another religious routine?
If the experience keeps coming to your heart long after you left the place of the meeting, that is an indication that what you have is more than a mere religion. It was an encounter with your maker and your God.