Holiness

Leviticus 10:3
And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying:

‘By those who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.’” So Aaron held his peace.

There is no place for sloppy, careless or lazy worship before God. We cannot approach His throne with the same casual, familiar style that we use with other sinful people. There is no room for ambiguity at the altar of God - we are either humble, reverent and holy or we are arrogant, rebellious and... well... dead; like Nadab and Abihu. A careless offering will not be tolerated. And the reality is that careless worship does not happen by accident - it is the result of a skewed view of God - not regarding Him as Holy. If my ministry is dead, if my students are not growing, it is because I have forgotten that God is Holy and must be glorified and lifted up before all the people as such. I believe this is why God prescribed such an elaborate preparation ritual for Aaron and his sons. Nothing short of the blood of Christ made them holy - but everything up to that point reoriented their minds, hearts and conduct toward holiness.
So what do I do to prepare for worship? How do I approach leading the people to God's glory. I must approach my ministry in a drastically different way.
I must not focus on the work, or the ritual or the people or the content. I must focus on God and set Him apart as Holy and distinct from all that I prepare to do. I must be so focused on His face and person that what follows is the Spirit of God rather than His wrath or judgment or absence. I must first be found Holy before my worship or ministry is to be found Holy.

God, I confess that I do not approach Your throne or worship with holiness in mind. I am arrogant, rebellious, mindless and sloppy toward You. I have treated Your gracious invitation to lead Your people in worship as common and ordinary. Forgive me. Convict my heart and cause me to see Your holiness. Purify my motives, my focus and my conduct so that I am Holy and so that You may be glorified in all that I do. Be lifted up before my students. Humble me and be glorified as Holy - set apart, above and beyond all good things we may do in worship. Amen.