WHAT WORSHIP TO GOD IS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 19, 2024.

SUBJECT : WHAT WORSHIP TO GOD IS! 

Memory verse: ""But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."(John 4 vs 23.)

READ: Psalm 96 vs 1 - 9:

96:1: Oh sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

96:2: Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

96:3: Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all people.

96:4: For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

96:5: For all the gods of the peoples are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

96:6: Honour and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

96:7: Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength.

96:8: Give to the LORD the glory due to His name: bring an offering, and come into His courts.

96:9: Oh worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: tremble before Him, all the earth.

INTIMATION:

The worship of God is nowhere defined in Scripture. A consideration of the verbs that precede the object of worship shows that it is not confined to praise. Worship to the Lord is broadly regarded as the direct acknowledgment to God; of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or by deed done in such accomplishment. Worship should occupy the core of our lives and not just a few minutes once a week. 

God alone is worthy of being worshipped because of who He is! We are to sincerely, willingly and joyfully come into God’s presence, not just going through the motions. We can worship at any time if we stay aware of God’s presence and guidance in all situations and if we maintain an attitude of serving Him. To truly develop the attitude of worship to God, you should build your life around the worship of God rather than making worship just another activity in a busy schedule. 

The first step toward meaningful worship is a desire to know God. If we thirst for Him, the Bible promises that He will provide for us and satisfy our needs. Confess your sins that might be hindering your fellowship to God. Then ask God to stir your heart, to instill within you an unquenchable thirst to know Him. Meditate upon how God has revealed Himself in the Bible, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you again. When you see God in a new way, of who really He is, worship will be your only fitting response.

When you follow a worship ritual but maintain a sinful lifestyle, it’s not true worship. It is religion without personal commitment to God. Attending church, taking communion, teaching church school, singing in choir and so forth, all are empty exercises unless we are truly doing them for God. It is good to do these activities, not because we ought to do them for the church, but because we want to do them for God. God's heart is not touched by tradition in worship, but by passion and commitment of the worshiper.

When people claim to be close to God, but they are disobedient and merely going through the motions, such people come near to God with their mouth and honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. Their worship is only routine rather than real. It is noteworthy that we are all capable of hypocrisy. Often we slip into routine patterns when we worship and neglect to give God our love and devotion. 

It takes time to worship, and setting aside the time allows us to adjust our attitudes before and reflect afterward. The pressures of everyday life may cause us to focus on the here and now and thus forget God. True worship is so important; it takes our eyes off our current worries, gives us a glimpse of God’s holiness, and allows us to look toward His future kingdom. God desires wholehearted worship. We show our commitment when we give God something of value to Him. God’s presence makes everything glorious, and worship brings us into His presence. 

Worship is not for your benefit, but for the benefit of who you offer it to—the Lord. Whatever anybody does that brings glory, honor, and is pleasurable to God is worship. Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, honor, and pleasure of God. You may not like the way I dance in the church, but if I dance to bring glory, honor, and pleasure to God, it is true worship. 

Any act of worship that is intended to please oneself is worshiping for the wrong reason—to please yourself, rather than God. Worship isn't for you. It's for God. Of course, most "worship" services also include elements of fellowship, edification, exhortation, and evangelism, and these are benefits to worship, but we don't worship to please ourselves. Our motive it to bring glory and pleasure to our Creator.

For many people, worship is just synonymous with music, especially slow style of music. They say such things as, "In our church we have worship first, then teaching." Or, "First we sing hymns, then praise and worship songs." Or, "I like the fast praise songs but enjoy the slow worship songs the most." All these are misconceptions. Every act of bringing glory to God or every part of a church service, is an act of worship; praying, Scripture reading, singing, confession, silence, being still, listening to a sermon, taking notes, giving offering, baptism, communion, signing a commitment card, and even greeting other worshipers.

Worship has nothing to do with the style or volume or speed of a song. God loves all kinds of music because He invented it all; the fast, and slow, the loud and soft, old and new. You probably don't like it all, but God does! If it is offered to God in spirit and truth, it is an act of worship. There are no styles nor music notes in the Bible. 

Frankly, the music style you like best says more about you—your background and personality—than it does about God. One ethnic group's music can sound like noise to another. But God likes variety and enjoys it all. There are no such thing as Christian music; there are only Christian lyrics. It is the words that make a song sacred, not the tune. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of true worship to You, that I may worship You acceptably. My utmost heart desire is that all I do in my life shall bring glory to Your name. Perfect Your strength in my weaknesses to enable accomplish this, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!