Worship

             Today I felt that God wanted me to share something I wrote about a year ago. It talks about worship and what worship is and means.
            Sunday was incredible! God really moved at RidgeCrest during the Victory worship service and it was so wonderful to see all that he has done and continues to do.
            This week I ask that you pray for God to continue to teach me new things as well as to fully trust that He is going to supply all my needs. We serve a great God and He deserves all the praise!

Worship

            The dictionary defines worship as “reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.” Around the world, there are scores of religions and thousands of ways in which people worship. If we could observe all methods of worship, we would encounter practices that are intriguing, unique, beautiful, and at times, some that are altogether strange. But what is true worship? Matthew Champ says simply that, “Worship is worship.” I agree completely. As the Holy Spirit leads we worship freely in reverence and awe of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our worship may take many different forms.

            God loves it when we spend time with him, and he longs to see us grow in him. In John 4:24, Jesus tells his disciples: “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” What did Jesus mean by this? He meant we must worship him above all things and with all that we are. “In spirit” means from the depths of who we are, through the bodies God has blessed us with, his temple to be used for his glory. “In truth” means we are called live by the God’s word, in supplication and prayer.

            Worship is something that comes from the heart: shouting, lifting hands, proclaiming the name of the Lord. However, in Romans 12:1 the apostle Paul explains worship in a deeper way. He encourages the church in Rome to partake in a form of worship that goes beyond singing or the lifting of hands. Paul says, “I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Worship, then, is not just certain actions we do but our entire lives.  As Paul says in another letter, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Many of us are guilty of seeing someone worshiping in a different way and immediately judging them, but we have remember: there are as many ways to worship as there are Crayola colors – not one is the same and each is beautiful in its time!

            Worship is not only for God, but also for us. Worship is the means by which God restores us when our souls become tired and weary. God fills us with his love and grace as we express our gratitude to him through praising and proclaiming His name. He reminds us of who we are and who he truly is - our Creator, the one who made you, me, and the entire universe. He’s marvelous and wonderful! The best way to grasp the true meaning of worship is to experience it for yourself – so I invite you to step in and open your eyes to glimpse eternity. You will never see life the same again.