Here I am to worship, not just a Sunday thing.
Psalms 100:1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalms 105:1 Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. 2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. 3 Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD. 4 Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Worship [wur-ship] n. reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
Over the centuries there has always been debate in the church about worship, what it is and how to do it.
One of the hottest debates about worship has always been about the music being used. There was a time when the only music that was allowed was the music that came straight from the Bible, the lyrics had to come directly from scripture, and hymns were not acceptable.
There are a lot of things that we have decided that worship is and how it should be done, but most of it stems from tradition and self pleasing desires to make the worshipper feel good. This is especially true when it comes to music, if you play just the right songs it will spark an emotional response in me and when I get all worked up emotionally, that is when I am finally worshipping.
But that isn't what the Bible teaches us at all. There is plenty of evidence of people getting emotionally worked up in the temple but God told his people that it was a waste of their time. The "how to's" for worship that can be found in scripture include:
- Worship the Lord constantly – it's not a Sunday morning thing.
- Worship with gladness – most of us don't look very glad when we worship on Sunday.
- Acknowledge that God is the God
- Worship with thanksgiving
- Worship with praise
- Worship him with your sacrifice of service
Everything that we do is supposed to be for the glory of the Lord and certainly that should be very evident in our worship. I must ask myself if my worship is intended for God's pleasure. Are my emotions caused by a broken heart before God or are they dependent on the right songs being sung? I must worship my Savior "in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way." (John 4:23)
Help me Lord to worship you with a pure heart, help me to live each day worshipping you constantly with gladness and with acts or service, denying self and giving to others.
