"Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe." Heb. 12:28 (TEV)
God-pleasing worship is thoughtful
Did you notice that Jesus commanded us four times in the bible, "Love the Lord your God with all your mind." What of those who comes before God in worship: mindless, distracted, unfocused? We may present careless words of prayer (babbling about whatever comes "to mind", heartless exclamations of "Hallelujah, Jesus!" because we can't think of anything else to express to God at the moment. We must be "mindful of God", otherwise worship will be simply a meaningless expression.
Then 2,000 years ago, Jesus classified this group: vain worshipers.
At first, our expressions, biblical quotes and other cliches may be inspirational, exciting, explosive. But we repeat these over and over then overlooking a deeper meaning of what we're expressing. Many of us arrive at church to skim through the Bible trying to decide what to say, what Scripture is best, and simply just pass on the information without meaning, without careful exegesis. Indeed, it's easier to offer "heartless words" in worship than making the effort to seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and inspiration when sharing before His church with fresh and vibrant insights. That’s why I encourage you to constantly read the Scripture. It will broaden your expressions of worship.
Allow me to give you a suggestion. Really, it's an encouragement and a challenge:
1. Instead of saying, "Praise You, God!" in repeated fashion, use words like, "God, wow! I admire You so much for all You are, our loving God!", "Lord, we come before you in awe and reverance! You're Forever our Lord!", "Father, I love You and Your commands! Help me do what You will in our lives today and forever!".
2. Try and be specific (the best you can) because God would love to see that we're mindful of spiritual things and situations.
3. Create a list of the names of God: Jehovah, Almighty, King, Savior, The Eternal One, Awesome God, The Beginning and End!
4. When we gather together to worship God, God expects us to be thoughful of Him. If your mind is on other things throughout worship, you're not worshiping Him at all. Whatever you're thinking, your focus are on it, not God. It is like a teacher teaching his/her students. If their mind is wandering elsewhere, they are: ignoring the teacher and missing out the important facts the teacher has taught.
5. Orderly worship: Paul devotes an entire chapter to this in 1 Corinthians 14 and concludes "Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."
The worship we give to God must be understandable to the unbelievers. If you see an unbeliever come into the place of worship, go and sit by that person and welcome him/her. They are important to both us and God. Sit with them and help them understand why and how we worship Him. Make them feel comfortable in the presence of God and of His church. Being sensitive to unbelievers who visit His worship gatherings is a biblical command, not a passing fad. To ignore this command would be disobedient and unloving.
Once again, starting today, examine your heart. How's your worship to God?
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