MEANINGFUL WORSHIP

Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! (Psalms 150:1-2 ESV)

How much attention do you give to your personal and corporate worship of God? If your worship is to glorify God, have you examined yourself to make certain that glorifying God is actually what you are doing? According to Jesus:

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24 ESV)

Without true worship, we cannot continue to grow in the blessing of His grace. Our consciousness of God’s presence in our lives begins to fade. Worship is not simply an outward act; it is the demonstration of a heart on fire for God. Have you experienced the joy of His pleasure in your worship? We need to reflect on our worship because it should be done according to God’s will, not ours.

We must worship God “in spirit and truth”. Therefore, we must turn to the Bible for our infallible guide to true worship. God does not accept passionate heresy or sterile orthodoxy. The worshipper must be spiritually alive with a heart and mind focused on God. Our thoughts about God must be thoroughly grounded in the Bible. We must worship God above all else with an undivided heart. We must cease worshipping God only with our lips while our hearts are far from Him. (Matthew 15:8 ESV)

How we worship and whom we worship is crucial. Do not imagine that you can worship God properly on Sunday if you are not worshiping and spending time with Him throughout the week. Worship includes music, singing, prayers, and listening intently to the sermon. Do not neglect to listen to the sermon and apply God’s word to your daily life throughout the week because this is worship too. This worship, sincerely done, glorifies and pleases God.

Are you worshipping the God of the Bible or the god of your imagination? Reading the Scriptures and listening to sermons will help us to gain an understanding of the character of God. We must know Him if we are to worship Him properly. We must pray for God-glorifying intimacy with Him. All of these activities are a part of the worship that truly glorifies God. Meaningful worship is to be our sincere gift of gratitude to God. Our thanksgiving glorifies His name. (Psalm 50:23 ESV)

Father, help me worship You
With a pure devotion,
Not alone with lofty words
Stirring sweet emotion.
Plant in me the heart of Christ
Clinging to His Father,
Trusting You for every breath,
Drinking every word.

(Father, Help Me Worship You, Ken Bible)