Worship is a great part of life for everyone who finds that sweet spot. Our spirits are lifted when we worship God and keep our minds on his kingdom. For two thousand years now, churches have been opening doors each week for people who assemble to worship. Some do show up once per week. While others choose to come sporadically or on special holidays. It is fairly honest to say that some worship services are livelier than others.
I’m sure you have stories about the worship services at your church or churches you’ve been to. They are all different in their presentation. Sometimes the worship personality of the whole community just flows perfectly. They can leave stories that linger in our hearts for years.
But what do we know about worship? Most of us think of worship as what happens when we go to church and sing and shout. We see it on television on popular shows, and televangelist churches, often streaming their content or TV spots. Pastors the world over will tell you, their church service is a culmination of a week’s worth of writing, planning, and coordinating efforts of the members of that church. It is a chance to get up and praise the Lord. That is a good definition of worship, right?
The truth about worship is – worship is a process that happens inside of people. It starts when we are alone with our thoughts, and continues when we gather with others. It is written, “A time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Jesus continued by saying “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth” – John 14:21 & 24.
Think about a musician or artist you love; Whenever you hear their music you dance, stop to enjoy their art displays, and you may even think about their stuff throughout the day. Worship is sort of the same way. For example, Paul wrote to the Ephesians that they should speak to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And make music to the Lord in their hearts” in verse 19.
Interesting things happen when we have the word of the Lord in our hearts, freely. Most of us are more compassionate, more courteous, kinder, gentler, and considerate of others. The word of God kept in our hearts as we go about our days does something wonderful in our hearts and lightens our moods. We may even become more tolerant of other people sometimes too. And we are more likely to follow the commandment to love God and love one another.
When we choose to do the commandments of God, like John 14:15-21 says, we live in a state of worship compelled by love. It’s like your favorite song on repeat. Love compels us to consider the truth of the gospel and the love God has lavished on us while we were sinners. Keeping the word of the Lord in our hearts is an act of worship that brings our hearts to life with overcomer energy when we can.
It is written that Jesus said “Anyone who loves me will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will live with him.” When we keep the word of God and live it, we tend to worship in truth and in the spirit; just like when we think about our favorite artists or musicians, except the word of God keeps us, as we keep His word.
True worship is how we live and carry ourselves in our daily living. In church, we follow scripted services, lovingly put together by those who oversee the church. But true worship is in how we live, how we treat others, our thoughts toward others and God, and the little things. That doesn’t mean we have to try to be perfect; I for one, am far from perfect but I trust what the Lord is doing in me. But we can take care of the way we live. Not holier than thou living, but righteous living, which doesn’t always look pretty to anyone.
In this living we do our best to live by the Spirit of Jesus Christ and not by the desires of our flesh, the way most of us used to live before we came to believe in Jesus, chasing down every lustful feeling and the ‘next best thing’. Galatians 5:22-24 gives us a good template and the beatitudes, found in Matthew 4 are a breath of fresh air to people who do believe and want to surrender our lives. Worship is intentionally living in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Paul writes to the Ephesians to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, along with every form of malice. To be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you.”
Those words can apply to us. It is not easy. But when we believe in Jesus the work is being done in our hearts to transform us from the inside out. It is written in Philippians 2:13 “It is God who works in you to will and to act to fulfill his good purpose”. Since the work is being done inside us, our worship, in keeping the word of God we can live a life pleasing to God. By choosing to intentionally live by the good fruits our behavior toward one another can shine like a light in darkness. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself – Matthew 19:19
Again, I say, it is not easy; worship is hard if we intentionally choose to live by our flesh. Our worship can be pure if we intentionally choose the fruits growing in our hearts as the Lord works to clean away who we were before we believed. Believing in Jesus gives us the power to resist the desires of the flesh. When we change our minds about who we are and put away who we were; our minds can remain on the word of God. That is when our worship can be a benefit to others and right before God. When we finally get to church our worship, our hearts can be full of true worship. That is worship worth sharing with others whom we assemble with.
While we might have a good selection of songs when we go to church, that isn’t worship. Worship is an every situation act, in everyday life. Worship won’t always look positive to others, but it is true in a genuine heart. We can keep faith despite any prevailing winds if we let the word of God light us.
Romans 5:4 reminds us that perseverance develops character, and character develops hope. That hope can be the best form of worship before the Lord, while we endure a hard week.
Our worship is also our belief in the word of God and how we carry the word of God when we don’t have to. When we meditate on the commandments of the Lord, we can worship in our hearts. It’s not easy to do because so many things try to keep our thoughts from Jesus. But true worship is intentionally keeping the peace we have been given and sharing it with others. When we truly worship, we draw near the kingdom of heaven and may be able to share the good news with others.
Worship is intentionally living the words we study and are given understanding of, in the Scriptures. Worship is not about jumping up and shouting. That is praise. Worship is our unwavering belief in Jesus, even as we struggle during the week to keep ourselves and our faith intact. True worshipers know it is not easy but is worth every effort to keep the word of God in our hearts, and even on our lips. I hope you were blessed by this reading and will come back to Spiritseid for more.
