We should worship God.
In today's world, to worship something means to hold it in high esteem, dedicate yourself to it, and to honor it with your words and deeds. Although many people are to garner our adoration and esteem, nothing and no one is to be worshipped other than God. Why is this? Well, it is because God deserves the worship. In Romans 12, Paul tells us that as mankind, it is reasonable that we worship God. This is because Paul spends 11 chapters beforehand explaining how powerful, worthy, wise, and loving God is toward us. For the reasonable person, it would follow they would choose to worship God. For He has given us life, a chance to have purpose, breath in our lungs, forgiveness through Christ, everlasting life in Heaven. Wow, that is a lot of good stuff. The reasonable person would worship God, for He is the highest good.
What does it mean to worship God?
To worship God goes beyond simple adoration and respect. In John 4:24, Jesus tells us that God is spirit, and those who worship must worship Him in spirit. What does this mean? This means God is immaterial; beyond space, matter, and time. Since God is spirit, the way to worship Him is also beyond just the material or physical. The prophets of the Old Testament continually echoed this same sentiment. The people's hearts were far from God, yet their lips declared His praise. God desired more than just outward acts, He desired their hearts. In Psalm 51, David proclaims that the type of worship God desires is a broken and contrite spirit. A broken and contrite spirit is a sense of humility before The Lord, and a dependance upon Him. A humility that leads to obedience, and a dependence that leads to intimate relationship. Christ solidifies this point when speaking of the religious leaders in Matthew 6. They went through the motions of "worshiping" God, but only so others would see their piety and praise them. Their hearts were set upon their own glory, and not God's. To worship God is to be humble enough to obey His ways, and dependent on Him enough to maintain a close intimate relationship with Him.
What does worship lead to?
We tend to become like that which we worship. If I worship a celebrity, I begin to imitate them and adopt their behaviors. I embody their essence and replicate it through my own life. Same goes for the worshippers of God. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul explains that as we dedicate our lives to humbly following God and His Word, while depending on Him, we will become more like Him. Those who are humble enough to obey His ways, and dependent on Him enough to participate in an intimate relationship with Him, are those who begin to embody His character. God is a loving God, the more you worship, the more you are loving. He is forgiving, joyful, strong, at peace. We begin to experience all of these realities as we worship Him. Do yourself a favor, worship God more and more each day this week. It is really good for you, and really good for those around you!
In today's world, to worship something means to hold it in high esteem, dedicate yourself to it, and to honor it with your words and deeds. Although many people are to garner our adoration and esteem, nothing and no one is to be worshipped other than God. Why is this? Well, it is because God deserves the worship. In Romans 12, Paul tells us that as mankind, it is reasonable that we worship God. This is because Paul spends 11 chapters beforehand explaining how powerful, worthy, wise, and loving God is toward us. For the reasonable person, it would follow they would choose to worship God. For He has given us life, a chance to have purpose, breath in our lungs, forgiveness through Christ, everlasting life in Heaven. Wow, that is a lot of good stuff. The reasonable person would worship God, for He is the highest good.
What does it mean to worship God?
To worship God goes beyond simple adoration and respect. In John 4:24, Jesus tells us that God is spirit, and those who worship must worship Him in spirit. What does this mean? This means God is immaterial; beyond space, matter, and time. Since God is spirit, the way to worship Him is also beyond just the material or physical. The prophets of the Old Testament continually echoed this same sentiment. The people's hearts were far from God, yet their lips declared His praise. God desired more than just outward acts, He desired their hearts. In Psalm 51, David proclaims that the type of worship God desires is a broken and contrite spirit. A broken and contrite spirit is a sense of humility before The Lord, and a dependance upon Him. A humility that leads to obedience, and a dependence that leads to intimate relationship. Christ solidifies this point when speaking of the religious leaders in Matthew 6. They went through the motions of "worshiping" God, but only so others would see their piety and praise them. Their hearts were set upon their own glory, and not God's. To worship God is to be humble enough to obey His ways, and dependent on Him enough to maintain a close intimate relationship with Him.
What does worship lead to?
We tend to become like that which we worship. If I worship a celebrity, I begin to imitate them and adopt their behaviors. I embody their essence and replicate it through my own life. Same goes for the worshippers of God. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul explains that as we dedicate our lives to humbly following God and His Word, while depending on Him, we will become more like Him. Those who are humble enough to obey His ways, and dependent on Him enough to participate in an intimate relationship with Him, are those who begin to embody His character. God is a loving God, the more you worship, the more you are loving. He is forgiving, joyful, strong, at peace. We begin to experience all of these realities as we worship Him. Do yourself a favor, worship God more and more each day this week. It is really good for you, and really good for those around you!