Hebrews 12:28-29, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
I have sat through many types of worship over the years. There is a praise time we call worship, where we sing to Jesus. Worship can be looked at as the time the pastor preaches each Sabbath. Worship at school is prayer and praise time and a couple of songs. Some call their devotional time their worship. One thing I’ve discovered is that it’s not how we worship but rather that we spend time in worship- true, authentic worship from the heart.
What I’ve also discovered is that the emphasis on worship is becoming more of a yawn fest. Let’s get the songs over with and prayers out of the way so we can move on to the real stuff. Worship is either taking a back seat in our lives, or it’s just an event we do before we move on to the next part of our day.
So many people have begun to see worship as just another activity to check off their list. Some have said it’s an emotion or a feeling that’s stirred up in your soul during church or at Bible meetings. Worship stirs the fire for Jesus, which is good on Sabbath but is harder to do through a busy work week.
Yet, at its core, worship simply means to declare worth or make a statement about the value of someone else. With this world falling more and more to the secular and so many places tossing God aside, let’s take a few moments to see how the Bible shows us what true worship looks like.
Worship is our response to God – John 4:9, “The woman said, “I am surprised that you ask me for a drink, since you are a Jewish man and I am a Samaritan woman.”
If someone says hi or thank you, your immediate response is to reply back. They say something and you acknowledge it. Jesus acted first by loving us; shouldn’t our response back show love to Him?
Worship is the proper response to God – Romans 12:1, “So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.”
Paul tells us the reasonable response to God is to be a living sacrifice for Him. He created you. His Son died at Calvary for you. He promised to come back for you. If we are that valuable to God, should we not declare how precious He is to us? Take time daily to worship God in your words and actions.
Worship is the proper response to God from the heart – John 4:23, “The time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, and that time is here already. You see, the Father, too, is actively seeking such people to worship him.”
From our core, the center of our being, we should be living and giving worship to God. God is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Is worship just part of your something to check off the list or a thing to quickly get through before other stuff? Worship should be a daily joy because you are spending time with Jesus and growing to be more like Him. True worship invites Jesus into your heart to live with you.
Worship allows us to place God above everything else in our life – Matthew 22:37, “Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”
It’s not only declaring Jesus is worthy; it’s living, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ When we take time to worship God, we are saying we value Him above our hobbies, entertainment, friends, spouses, children, etc. Worship is not a once-a-week and done event we do at our church service. Worship is a daily lifestyle with Jesus. It’s a time of adoration when we declare God is first in our life above all else.
I hope you enjoy your worship at church; it’s a great way to connect with God. But where does your worship go from there? How do you live the rest of the week? How do you live with your spouse, your children, and at work? Where does worship fit into your daily life?
As Christians, we believe that one day every knee will bow, and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord- Philippians 2:9-11. We believe that we are marching towards this event quickly. Why are you waiting for the event before you bow, surrender, submit, and worship Him? Jesus is calling us all to worship now. He is asking us to make worship our lifestyle. He is at every door knocking. Why don’t you let Him in today?
One of the best ways to spend in worship with God is through reading the Bible with Him. He can show us so many wonderful things and teach us new things. What we gain will help us through each day, each trial, and each moment.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on ConnectWithGodDaily
Featured Image by Jack Sharp on Unsplash
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