¹Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

²Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

³And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

⁴You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

⁵For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

⁷You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

⁸This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.

⁹A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

¹⁰I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. _{Galatians 5:1-10}

From the very outset of the Church, it has been beset by those who set laws, precepts and structure before a living relationship with Christ. We sometimes think of these things as being in distant history, or even fairly recent history, and that it always applies to others, but never to ourselves.  So we read about the Galations and tend to think "foolish Galations, fancy them not realising that they didn't have to be circumcised, how obtuse of them!" Yet it happens today, all the time.

In Old Covenant days the ceremonies were set out in minute details as to how they should be carried out, whom should execute what role, how they should prepare for their roles, and so on.  These ceremonies were often allegories - they painted a picture of that which was to come, so for a while it was necessary that everything was done in a precise order, in a precise way. But Christ is the fulfilment of all those allegories - everything that the pictures referred to is embodied in Christ.

Human nature is such, however, that it continues in that with which it feels safe and familiar.  Religion and liturgy give people a feeling of safety in the familiar, but it doesn't demand of us the constant communion that God created us for.  People can find safety and familiarity in anything, anything at all.

Does that mean we should never do anything twice? No, of course not. The issue is, does that with which we've become familiar take precedence over a relationship with the Living God.

The very purpose for which all of mankind was created was to glorify God. One of the most important ways in which we can do that is through praise and worship.  Whether you read the Psalms:

¹Praise the Lord!
 Praise God in His sanctuary;
 Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
        
²Praise Him for His mighty acts;
 Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
        
³Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
 Praise Him with the lute and harp!
⁴Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
 Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
⁵Praise Him with loud cymbals;
 Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
        
⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
 Praise the Lord! _{Psalm 150}

 Or God's law in Deuteronomy:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength._{Deuteronomy 6:5}

God's Word is completely unambiguous about the manner and the fervency with which we are to praise Him.  We, however, have been conditioned to think that there is something strange in praising God. So people throughout the centuries add all manner of reasons why God didn't really mean what he said.

When Christ died on the cross, the veil of the temple was rent in two, (Matthew 27:51). The veil was a large curtain that separated everyone from the Holy of Holies, and only the high priest was ever to proceed beyond it. Access to God is now made open to us.  The only thing that can stand in the way of direct access to God is ourselves, sometimes under the influence of others.  When a believer is born again, for a while they can have a spontaneous unfettered relationship with Christ, and we call that time the 'first love'.  All too often, however, influences can creep in which can act  as if the veil of the temple should be sewn together, and our access to, and communion with, God limited.

Unfettered praise and worship is unsafe and unfamiliar to mankind, and goes against the instinct to rein it in. It is an act of faith, obedience and sometimes of sacrifice that allows the Holy Spirit to break us down, and for our souls to enter deeper into the presence of the Living God.  There is no more important activity that any of us can do within our lifetime than to glorify God, absolutely nothing.