Guest post from exemplar1 As defined by the masses, worship is often seen as us praising God for a while, then walking away. It seems that it's all about
our participation. Do you see the selfishness of the motivation behind that?
God wants to be involved. Let's let Him participate in our worship! Here are a couple of insights that I'm sure have been touched on at various times about worship. Let's dare to go deeper:
1. Worship Him by letting Him speak to you. Find a way to be quiet and still before Him. Like a radio station that's always broadcasting, He's always speaking, the question is, are we tuned in? Are we within range? In other words, are we listening or at least attempting to listen? Are we moving closer to get better reception?
2. Allow the Holy Spirit to worship the Father through you. Tell him to ignore any of your internal limitations and worship with all that He can work through you. Maybe that strikes your ear as odd, but think of this: those who worship Him must worship Him in SPIRIT and in truth. The spirit has no limitations, only the mind and the flesh do. Don't let your mind put limitations on what God can do through you. Be ready to be overwhelmed when you implement this.
John 4:23-24 (AMP - with my notes in brackets) A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality) [truth in revelation]; for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality) [truth in revelation].
Note that the Greek word for Spirit is the same in all places in those scriptures. There will be more to come on the Spirit in the future, there's too much to tell about it here.
Just to add more icing to this cake, check out the Greek definition of worship in the above verses. It is overwhelming.
proskuneō - meaning to kiss; to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): - worship.
Think of it, worship from us is like kisses to the Father. Those who are parents know that there is no kiss as sweet as the precious kiss from a child. We are to come to Him as a little child... and kiss Him. Do we dare to kiss the face of almighty Yehovah God? Have we strived to do that?
What does worship mean to you? How do you worship God in your daily life?
Comments (10)
praising God and remembering Him
I get terribly distracted, but I do remember one thing from a group I was a part of all four years in college...God is everywhere, in everything and everyone...so I try to see God in everything. I suppose my intermittent appreciation is my worship, but I don't do it enough.
Worshiping would be giving him the reverence He deserves, praising and thanking him for everything...that's kinda my take on it.
What does worship mean to me...? Growing up as an Episcopalian, worship meant participating in the church service itself. We went to church, we read from the prayer book (all at the same time), we knelt, we stood, we sang (all of these were again done in unison), we took communion, we listened to the priest read from and Old Testament, the Gospels, and one of the letters, we heard a 10 minute message, we prayed, we went home. This was not necessarily the order in which these things happened, but they all happened every Sunday and we had "worshipped." Actually, I never heard what we did each week referred to as anything more than ritual.
So, 30 years later after my radical conversion experience and leaving the Episcopal Church for personal convictions, what does worship mean to me? It means none of the previous things listed earlier, nor does it mean a great "song service." Worship to me means a lifestyle. How you conduct yourself at home, at work, at play, and most importantly, in private, when no one else is watching but God Himself. Living in such a way that you are striving to honor the Lord in all you do.
This is your "reasonable service."
For me, worship is singing during Sunday service, praising during prayer, even just quick thoughts like "God you are absolutely wonderful" any time of the day.
Not to be confrontational, but worship is not about God joining our singing or something. We have no need to ask God to "join" our worship because He is supposed to be the object of our worship. Worship is what we do to God, not with God. When we participate in worship and don't have God as the object of it all, from the beginning, we are committing idolatry.
Other than that, I think it is very important to draw close to God and to be controlled by the Spirit. Of course, controlled means just that, controlled, not thrown into convulsions. That's just a show.
Anyone who wants to learn more about what worship truly is should read Jack Hayford's book Manifest Presence... it's a great insight into how worship is a gift from God to us, and then from us to Him, like a concentric circle, where He invites us to come into His Presence and we in turn delight in Him... great book...
awesome! i'll try it... i've certainly not been doing very well telling God how much I love Him. =(
@whiteoprah@xanga - I appreciated this testimony. I would just encourage you not to underestimate the value of your Episcopal heritage and the grace you received there through those "rituals" that you may not even be aware of.
awesome post! thanks