People in every culture have the instinct to worship something: a job, a family, football, my own life, my own problems, an object and various kinds. According to Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life book, "It’s a universal urge, hard-wired by God into the very fiber of our being - an inbuilt need to connect with God." Worship is as natural as eating or breathing. If we fail to worship God, we always find a substitute which only lasts temporarily; even if ends up being ourselves.
"Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe." Heb. 12:28 (TEV)
The reason God made us with this desire is because he desires worshipers! Jesus said, "the Father seeks worshipers." Here are some great questions to ask yourselves. Do you see yourselves as true worshipers? How do people view your life: true worshiper of God or of ____________? What does God see in you: faithful, lukewarm (Revelation 3:16) or unfaithful?
So far we’ve seen that worship is bringing pleasure to God, and there are many way to do this: by trusting, loving, obeying, praising, surrendering, using our talents for his glory, and developing a close friendship with him. Often, the church lacks such these wonderful things leading us to daily (24/7) worship God!
Worship is the first purpose of your life. You are created and we’re commanded to worship. It is our greatest responsibility, our highest privilege, and it should have take priority over everything else. When asked, "What’s the most important commandment in the Bible?" (Matthew 22:36-38) Jesus answered, "Worship!"
He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
Anytime you express love to God, you are worshiping. It doesn’t matter whether you are by yourself, with family, or gathered with other believers. A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. Jesus replied that these external issues are irrelevant; what matters is your heart. Where you worship is not as important as how and why.
Jesus said, "True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." These two statements by Jesus (Mark 12:30 and John 4:23) explain the kind of worship that gives God pleasure.
I am going to break down into six different points (actually six different blog entry) to help us understand how to live a "God-pleasing worship":
1. God-pleasing worship is based on Scripture....
"Worship in ...truth."
We must worship God as He is truly revealed in the Bible; anything else is idolatry.
You can’t just create your own image of God ("I like to think of God as...") and worship that. Real worship is rooted the Word; it’s based on truth, not our imagination. The more you know the Bible, the better you’ll understand the truth about God, especially his grace. That will compel you to passionate worship.
We worship Him because of His Ultimate Power of the Flood, the punishment on Sodom and Gomorrah, the birth of Isaac from an old, old womb, of all the Providences, the dividing of the Red Sea, having stilled the sun, the incarnation of Jesus, Your patience with us sinners as we, because of our sins, crucified Your Son, Jesus, on the cross, Your power in Jesus' resurrection, Your full potential in using Your faithful servants on earth and Your compassions they fail not!
Whenever you feel indifferent, apathetic, or bored with worship, it means you’ve forgotten how amazing God’s grace really is! Really, you have overlooked a very simple message to simple people!
"O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name."
Is your worship to God Scriptural: FROM THE VERY CORE OF YOUR HEART (PASSIONATE)?
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34 (niv)
2 comments:
Interesting instructions about WORSHIP I read in:
www.biblegateway.com
1 Timothy 2:1-15
Instructions about WORSHIP
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time. And I have been chosen--this is the absolute truth--as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles about faith and truth.
So wherever you assemble, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.
Women should listen and learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was the woman, not Adam, who was deceived by Satan, and sin was the result. But women will be saved through childbearing[a] and by continuing to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.
WORSHIP is embracing God in all His glory. When you do, His radiance will illuminate the dark places of your soul, warm the cold places of your heart, and shine a light on your path.
Worship is drawing near to God, your Redeemer, knowing that even as you do, He is redeeming your life in ways you cannot even imagine.
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