What is the first thing you think of, when you think of worship?

 

 Do you think of music, choirs, singing, giving praise and adoration? Lifting up hands, telling the Lord how much we love Him. Or simply being at church to give Him honor? If you're like most (myself included), you probably do! And you would be right.

 

 After all this is what the majority of the world, both christian and non-christian, believes.

                                 ...And speaking of this popular belief, this is how the Merriam-Webster defines worship:

 

Worship -wor-ship -Middle English worshipe worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being, from Old English weorthscipe worthiness, respect, from weorth worthy, worth + -scipe -ship

 

1 chiefly British : a person of importance —used as a title for various officials (as magistrates and some mayors)

2 : reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence

3 : a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual

4 : extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem <worship of the dollar>

 

Now, obviously for our purposes, we are speaking of points 2: reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such reverence and 3: a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual.

 

And is this true? Well, yes it is true.

 

Now, with that said, what if I said that it was only a very "small" part of it? What if I told you that real (and true), biblical worship, worship that God desires, is so much more, than simply offering our praise in music, or in words? Or simply going to church to give Him honor, (and) or ritual for that matter. What if I told you that it is in the way we live our lives before God? Would you be surprised?

 

Probably so!

 

When most of us think of worship we think of the worship music we sing in church, or hear on the radio. Or raising our hands in praise in church, and as we just read in the Merriam-Webster dictionary it would agree. But rarely, do we ever give thought that real and honest worship is in how we live our lives before God, and before this world.

 

But if we look into scripture. We will see that true worship is so much more, than just "words", singing, music, or ritual for that matter.

 

 ...Just like the Samaritan woman at the well, as she spoke with Jesus:

 

  "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

 

 "Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

 

                             (John 4:20-24 NIV)

 

You see, I think many would be surprised; perhaps you are right now as you read this?

 

You see God wants our sincere and honest praise. But for it to be acceptable and really honor Him, and show Him (true) praise. It must be in the way we live our lives. You see real, true and honest sincere worship, is not "simply" a song we sing in church, or the words we use. After all, anyone can give "lip service". Nor is it simply raising our hands to God in adoration. It is so much more. It is how we are living our lives in this world. Whether anyone is watching, or not!

 

You see many of us can give Him praise. We can sing our hearts out to Him. But if our hearts are not right (before Him), is our praise (right)? Think about it! He knows if our hearts are really right with Him. We may be able to deceive ourselves, but we cannot deceive the Holy Spirit!

 

           ....And let's be honest! Even when we try to deceive ourselves, there is still conviction, isn't there? Just as we know if our hearts are right, do we not (1 Jn 3:21)?

 

I think God's heart must break for us. How we can go to church, sing worship. Raise our voices in praise, and "hallelujah". Then we go back into the world, "business as usual". Holding grudges against others, being unforgiving, not living very "Christ-like" lives. Looking no different, than the world we are trying to win over to Him!

 

       ...And then we wonder why the world is not interested in what we, "say" we believe? But that's another subject for another time.

 

Now, with that said, is God's grace big?

 

 "...being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"

 

                                (Romans 3:24 NKJV)

 

Absolutely!

 

But we must always remember, and I say this affectionately, God did not give us a license to sin:

 

 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?"

 

                              (Romans 6:1-2 NKJV)

 

But with that said (again), God's grace is big! And we are all "works" in progress.

 

But we have to seriously ask ourselves. If we can go into church and praise God. Then turn right around when we walk out and go back to old grievances, grudges, old patterns of sinful behavior. Where are our hearts, really ....honestly?

 

We have to ask ourselves, "Am I the one who worships God in spirit and in truth?"

 

  ...Or the one who does it only in speech?" Just like those the prophet Isaiah spoke about:

            

           "And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without any thought as to the meaning],"

 

                            (Isaiah 29:13 Amp. B.)

 

Sometimes we just don't get it, myself included!

 

Now, you may feel a finger pointing at you, but there are four pointing back at me.

 

You know true and honest, sincere worship, Is in how I live my life before God. Following Him the best that I can (with His help of course)! By reading and studying His word, staying in fellowship with Him. Allowing Him to mold (Jn 15:2) and guide me (Jn 14:16-17, 16:13), making me into the person He would have me be (Rom. 8:29).    

                              ....Whether anyone is watching, or not!

 

You see, if I am striving to follow Him with my whole heart, even though I may (and certainly will at times) fall, and get back up, does that not speak volumes (for more info click here: It's all about perseverance...)? Just as if I am going to church, singing worship music, then going out, living not any differently then before I was in Christ, does that not speak volumes also? To the One who loved me and created me, and as David said, "covered me in my mother's womb" (PS 139:13)? ....Not to mention the rest of the world?

 

It all comes down to this. God wants more than just people who will give Him "lip service". He wants people who are giving their whole lives to Him, not just a part!

 

                               .....Are you?

 

 

 

 "True worship is simply not singing our hearts out to God, nor is it sincerely offering praise and adoration, it's how we live our live our lives before God....whether anyone is watching, or not"

 

                                                             Rev. J. Heintzman