This Sunday, thousands of congregations will come together to worship. But what is worship? Worship means to ascribe worth to God delightfully. In a distorted world, we worship our sports teams, our movie stars, our social media influencers and those we hold in special esteem. But only God is truly worthy of our worship.
As its definition describes, worship is something that is done delightfully. The psalmist called on us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psalm 98:4). We are to come into His presence with a grateful heart, giving Him all praise and honor (Psalm 95:2). This may seem simplistic in scope and a no-brainer; but true worship demands a pure intention to honor God with our life, even beyond the four walls of our religious places of worship.
Worship May Begin in Church, But Shouldn’t End There
Worship is too powerful to be contained in the church’s four walls. It overflows into our workplaces. It affects our conversations with our spouse and children. When true worship has taken place and we have been filled with God’s presence, even those who come in contact with us at the end of our church service can see its aftereffects. True worship is most credible when it is a part of our lives.
After challenging Roman believers to present their bodies to God as an act of worship, Paul warned, “Do not be conformed to this world.” (Romans 12:2) The Greek word for “conform” means to fashion or shape one thing like another. He was encouraging them not to fashion their worship after the world’s sensual and emotional patterns. Instead, it was to be transformed through the renewal of their minds, which would allow them to do what was acceptable in the sight of God. This change in focus caused their worship no longer to be about themselves, but about Him.
Open for Worship
Once we have presented ourselves to God, we are open for worship. Giving our whole being to Him is the most important aspect of individual worship. We experience the greatness of worship when we gather with other believers who have also given their whole being to God. Like small flames which create a large fire when combined, when believers connect with one another in worship, the power of our worship multiplies.
Sports fans who watched their team win during the weekend often find it hard not to express their excitement when we talk with them at the office on Monday morning. In the same way, when we’ve experienced true worship on a Sunday, it should not be difficult to make it known on Monday. Does this mean an absence of problems, frustration or the stress of this world? No, our joy and worship are not predicated on these things, but on our relationship with Him. They are about coming before Him in humility and simply saying, “Here I am to worship,” as this song expresses.
Article by Dr. L.W. Edwards
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