Reflection #4 - Right Ritual

As I read through II Kings and II Chronicles and the correlating prophets who preached during the time of pre-exilic Judah, I am noticing a common theme. My Bible notes sum it up best: "ritual without faith-based  obedience is unnacceptable to God." The kings and people of Judah (before the consequential exile for their disobedience) were perfectly content to worship Yaweh AND other gods, even though Yaweh had warned the sin and possible conseqences for worshiping other gods. The people of Judah still went through Mosaic ritual, but without any true faith or obedience in the God they were acknowledging. They would offer a sacrifice to Yaweh, and then offer a sacrifice to a sun god the next day. They followed the customs of God, even though they were not willing to obey, love or trust Him in any other context.

How I want to guard against this in my own life. I don't want to read my Bible and then disregard everything it says after my twenty minutes of reading are up. If what I read doesn't change my selfish attitude, increase my love for God, and augment my desire to serve others, then what is the point of my reading ritual? Lord, help me not to blindly follow ritual as the people of pre-exilic Judah did, but help any ritual I follow to be for the purpose of loving You more, knowing You more deeply, and obeying You more willingly.