The distraction of the enemy directly challenges the attraction of the Lord’s Glory. Those who observe Glory eternally are fully absorbed in His Glory, appropriately respond with wonder without interruption or disctraction. Ever!
God is extremely attractive! He calls us to Himself. He stands ready to immediately respond when we move His direction. His eyes are filled with burning passionate love for us. He wants us! He wants us!
So, we must learn greater levels of gazing upon Glory in order to realize deeper passion for Him. In this way, we are transformed by Holy Spirit. The measure of worship transformation is attraction.
That is, we are spiritually enabled to a deeper level of heavenly attraction and gazing upon His Glorious character are transformed in personal character. This is detailed in 2 Corinthians 3: a contrast of Moses’ encounters with Glory and ours. This is a here and now experience for everyone who has “the veil taken out of the way.” It is not a someday, somewhere experience; it is here and now gazing upon the Glory of the Lord by the Spirit of the Lord. In this context we understand that true freedom is spiritual freedom!
Worship is the ultimate attraction investment. “Love the Lord with all…” Idolatry can be just as intense an investment in attraction, but the objectivity of idolatry has nothing to do with the idol’s passionate love for us. Idolatry is the ultimate distraction.
Worship Substitutes
The New Testament tells us covetousness is idolatry. The demanding desire to possess instead of being possessed. Worship is a surrender to be possessed by the One worshipped. Idolatry is a demanding desire to possess something for ourselves – covetousness.
Along the spectrum of distraction, from idolatry to Glory gazing, we can locate our worship: if hell cannot keep from worshipping God, hell will work to limit worship. The limitations to worship can be understood as substitutes for Glory, distractions as bold as an idol or as subtle as self-consciousness.
