“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?” Matt 21:16
Coolness is often the deciding factor on what people act like. If we think it's cool to be funny, we'll try to make jokes. If we think it's cool to be aloof, we'll act like "The Fonz" (showing my age on that example). If it's cool to tease or be sarcastic, that's exactly what will come out of our mouth. People buy certain clothing, decorate their bodies with tattoos, wear specific hairstyles, buy the latest gadgets, and live certain lifestyles all to be "cool" ... at least cool in our own minds.
But I noticed something after going through years of effort trying to be "cool" in grade school --- Coolness CHANGES! What was cool for a period of time becomes "uncool" later. Look at some of the examples of coolness from my younger years: bell-bottom jeans, feather hairstyles, girl's big hair, smoking cigarettes, converse hightops, cassettes, fuzzy dice, gas-guzzling cars, ... you get the idea. Although some of those things come back in style for a season, most people would LAUGH at pictures from our yearbook or cringe when looking at some of the things we thought were cool then. Coolness doesn't last when it's based on our opinions.
God has something He thinks is cool - and because He is eternal, it DOES last. He thinks it's cool when we worship Him unabashedly. God loves it when we seek to please Him, and when we pursue obedience purely out of love.
The day Jesus strolled into town (actually, He rode into town but it was the speed of a stroll), people were falling over themselves to bring Him praise. They were being "uncool" in the minds of the leaders and Pharisees. But Jesus thought it was cool! He recited a verse from centuries earlier that said: 'when you worship me with the passion and joy of a child, I don't care how foolish it looks to the so-called adults - it's COOL to me!' God thinks it's cool when we worship Him freely.
How sad, then, when I care more about what people think around me in church than caring about what God thinks regarding my expression of worship. It's UNCOOL to try and "act cool" in God's eyes --- He wants us to let go of our inhibitions and put our focus on Him completely, expressing our gratitude & love to Him, no matter what others do around us --- that's COOL to Him.
So join the eternally COOL crowd! Let go of your concerns about appearances... raise your hand in praise once in a while... sing out with all you have... express your love & joy like a child would toward his/her parent... Stop trying to be cool to people around you, and be cool in the eyes of your God.
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