We have just scratched the surface when it comes to learning about worshipping the God who created us to worship. As we seek to learn more about what true worship means, we pray that you do too.
Dictinary.com defines worship as:
- (noun) Reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
- (verb) To render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.
All of us have worshiped something other than God. People worship money, “stuff”, sex, power, prestige, recognition, pop stars, actors, sports teams, hobbies, sports, food, exercise, their country, relationships, family, and kids. We also worship spirituality, pastors, churches, religion itself, and many things other than God.
If we were designed to worship, it’s not a surprise that we all worship something. We believe, however, that God is the only thing that is worthy of our worship. We were made not just to worship, but to worship God. Unfortunately, our worship can be misplaced.
It’s easy to believe (or feel) that worship is equal to how we feel. The feeling of assuaging our guilt when we attend church or put money in the offering plate, for example… or perhaps the emotional high of an amazing worship song or church service. At other times, the comfortable feeling that can come from following rituals or routine can feel like worship.
All of those things certainly are ways that people can worship God, but worship is more than emotions. It’s more than following rituals, and it’s more than music and singing. In his article “Worship Worthy of the Name”(2), Tim Keller suggests using the word “moved” as opposed to “emotion” when talking about worship. He describes worship as “Seeing what God is worth and giving Him what He is worth.” In other words, thinking about God’s infinite worth, then doing something about it.
Keller also says that our minds, wills, and emotions must all be moved to experience true worship. We need to pull our affections from other things and place them on God. This can lead to praise and action.
God created us to worship Him in every part of our lives. As we personally trust Him more and desire to know Him more, we hope to learn to worship Him in everything we do. We want to “pull our affections” from the things of this world and place them on Him, and act accordingly.
Worship through music is one of the ways we feel helps us move our affections from the things of this world to God, so you’ll find some great songs on the blog. If you like music, check out some of our favorites HERE.
We pray that you will see God’s infinite worth today and respond as He leads you!
