WORSHIP 2

All around the planet somewhere, someplace, someone is worshiping God—24/7! Heaven is the final destination of praise, prayers, confession, thanksgiving and the place where songs, dance, shouting, offerings and communion unfold before an adored Father. If you asked me to pick the single most important thing I could do in life I would unhesitatingly answer, WORSHIP!

Worship for me is the lifelong practice of glorifying God through reverent communication, righteous conduct, and moral character that affirms my love for Him. There are four primary reasons why I believe we should worship our awesome LORD.

1. God wants us to worship Him and Him only! Exodus 9:13—Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.’”

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”—Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647). God is a jealous God Whose deep desire is that we would love Him. See Revelation 4:8 and Exodus 34:14.

2. To glorify and therefore please Him—Psalm 69:30,31—I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

3. It enables us to enjoy life by changing our attitude and setting our heart right with God. Psa. 59:16—But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Jack Hayford noted in Worship His Majesty, “You become like the god you worship.” Do you want to experience a vibrant, powerful life? Worship God!

4. To testify to what God has done (His love, faithfulness, justice, powerful acts . . .) Psa. 89:1—I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations. Psa. 108:3—I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.

“I am totally persuaded that worship is the key to evangelism as well as to the edification of the Church.”—Jack Hayford in Worship His Majesty

May I encourage you to: (1) write your own personal definition of worship; (2) evaluate how you are doing in worshiping God; (3) stop whatever you are doing right now and tell God how much you love Him!

Inspiration

Worship rises or falls with our concept of God . . . The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the church is famishing for want of His presence.—A.W. Tozer

I understand true worship to be when one’s spirit adores and connects with the Spirit of God, when the very core of one’s being is found loving Him, lost in Him.—Darlene Zschech in Extravagant Worship

Worship is the love offering of our keen sense of the worth-ship of God.—Oswald Chambers in So Send I You