True Worship

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“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matt6:33
Things fight for our worship, whether school, work, friends, movies even. In those moments it can be easy to put God on the back burner of your life; only getting back to Him when you have some extra time.
But we have to make sure we don’t let that happen. We can’t reduce a huge God to a hobby—something we just do and pay attention to on our spare time. We need to keep Him in the forefront of everything we do. He needs to remain at the center of our vision. Everything else should hinge on and flow out of His being first in our lives.
True worship is a whole-life response to how great you know God to be. It should be with everything we have, everything we are, and everything we do.

No Other God

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“You shall not bow down to them (any other gods) or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…”_ — Exodus 20:5

Consider sports fans at a game; dressed head to toe in paint, yelling and screaming, booing and cheering. Consider a pop concert; persons crying and screaming with arms stretched out reaching for that celebrity.
You see, as humans we are worshipers and we can’t help it. It’s who we are, what we do and how we were made. We therefore need to give our attention over to God. Spend time in prayer, in his word, in fellowship and walking in obedience. From out of that comes our desire to worship God. If you recognize God’s Sovereignty throughout the week, then you shouldn’t have any issues praising, crying and screaming when you meet with the believers (for church services).
What you spend the most time thinking about, doing, or giving the majority of your attention and so your worship to?

Set Apart Your Worship

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“…let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”_ — 2 Cor7:1
Understanding that we have been made holy will help us live a holy life and offer to God holy worship. Our worship should be set apart, for we are no longer our old self with the acceptance of Christ into our lives. Our worship then should not be conformed to the patterns of this world but should be done in Spirit and in Truth.
The offering of worship, which we give, should not be a copy of what the world does. So, be careful not to get caught in the old way of life, once you have been made new. For these offerings ought to be set apart and not a “leftover” of which it doesn’t have much value.
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Worship

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The story of Cain and Abel (Gen 4:1-16) gives great insight about worship. We can gain a practical understanding about worship. First, worship is doing something. It’s stopping your normal routine and intentionally doing something for the sake of worshiping the Lord. Second, it is giving something. Both Cain and Abel brought an offering to the Lord. In the same way, in our culture, we should give something to the Lord. There is so much that we can give: time, money, energy, our lives, among others. Third, worship is pleasing someone. This is what set the worship of Cain and Abel apart. The offering Abel gave was received with favor. It was acceptable to the Lord and met the standard that God had set.
We can go through the motions and do the things that look like worship. We can give to the church, to others, and to God. However, just because we do these things, it isn’t automatic that we are pleasing God. A popular song says it well, “You search deeper within, through the way things appear. You’re looking into my heart.” (Heart of Worship by Matt Redman)
As a living sacrifice, is your life pleasing to the Lord?

ASTONISHED REVERENCE

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O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!—Psalm 8:1
Then there is admiration, that is, appreciation of the excellency of God. Man is better qualified to appreciate God than any other creature because he was made in His image and is the only creature who was. This admiration for God grows and grows until it fills the heart with wonder and delight. “In our astonished reverence we confess Thine uncreated loveliness,” said the hymn writer. “In our astonished reverence.” The God of the modern evangelical rarely astonishes anybody. He manages to stay pretty much within the constitution. Never breaks over our bylaws. He’s a very well- behaved God and very denominational and very much one of us, and we ask Him to help us when we’re in trouble and look to Him to watch over us when we’re asleep. The God of the modern evangelical isn’t a God I could have much respect for. But when the Holy Ghost shows us God as He is we admire Him to the point of wonder and delight.

 

Face Down, Listening

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Face Down, Listening

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.” – Genesis 17:3-4
The Scriptures declare, “Abram fell on his face” as the Lord talked with him (Genesis 17:3). Abraham was reverent and submissive. Probably there is no better picture anywhere in the Bible of the right place for mankind and the right place for God. God was on His throne speaking, and Abraham was on his face listening!
Where God and man are in relationship, this must be the ideal. God must be the communicator, and man must be in the listening, obeying attitude. If men and women are not willing to assume this listening attitude, there will be no meeting with God in living, personal experience….
Yes, Abraham was lying face down in humility and reverence, overcome with awe in this encounter with God. He knew that he was surrounded by the world’s greatest mystery. The presence of this One who fills all things was pressing in upon him, rising above him, defeating him, taking away his natural self-confidence. God was overwhelming him and yet inviting and calling him, pleading with him and promising him a great future as a friend of God

Delight Yourself in the Lord!

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Good morning!
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell i… (Psalm 27:4)
God is not unresponsive to the contrite longing of the soul. He comes and lifts the load of sin and fills our heart with gladness and gratitude. “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (Psalm 30:11–12).
But our joy does not just rise from the backward glance in gratitude. It also rises from the forward glance in hope: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:5–6).
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:5).
In the end, the heart longs not for any of God’s good gifts, but for God himself. To see him and know him and be in his presence is the soul’s final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight. But these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience:
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).
“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
“Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4). (John Piper)

Have a blessed day!