WORSHIP

At the core of worship is living all-in towards the Father, Son and Spirit in all aspects of life. This is our only sane response as we grow in comprehending what God is like (Romans 12:1). We give back to Him the love and honor He deserves since He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

God deserves worship for His sake since He is worthy. As His Bride, He only wants from us what we willingly give, yet also woos us toward our best to be all-in. So relentlessly respond to pursue this love-relationship with the most incredible person. We are most fully human when we freely and gladly live in intimacy with Him, even in our routine in life. Intimate worship is first and foremost for God and about God. Only then for us as a byproduct. Take care then not to evaluate a worship experience by asking, “What did I get out of it?” This takes what is a secondary byproduct (although wonderful!) and makes it primary.

When you hear the word “worship,” is your first thought “worship songs,” like me, because of the many wonderful worship songs? Yes, this can be breath-taking (if our hearts are engaged as all-in to do what God says). Please don’t narrow your worship to songs of worship. We also worship with our prayers and the praise of our lips, through the ordinances (baptism and communion), by giving financially to support God’s plans, as well as songs of adoration, as long as our hearts follow.

Long before creation, God intended us to be worshipers, drawn to become more like whatever we behold (2 Corinthians 3:18). The proof of our authentic worship is not so much our ecstasy, but our changed lives, immediately and over time. Fill our minds with what is pure, admirable and excellent. Make Jesus the focal point of our lives and become more like Him. This lifestyle is at the heart of all worship experiences.

Like me, I suspect you will find it important to set aside a specific time to be alone with God each day in prayer and quietness with God. Also scatter short “One-Minute Sabbaths” throughout our day as we invest in intimate worship, even in the routine. God designed us to give full allegiance to something that gives significance to our lives, something bigger and better than we are. We will never discover genuine purpose and meaning separate from worshipping Jesus as Lord with our whole being. Read Philippians 3:7-8 several times to grasp the core of true worship. One exercise that has helped me make this concrete is to develop a “longing statement.” Then I pray my longing statement daily into my life. The following is my longing statement for this season: “I long to enjoy Your presence as my highest good” (Psalm 16:11).

What is your present longing statement?

This is Reflection #24 in my book, Foundation Stones. I also have a web-site with tools, books and "more than Bible studies" that have helped me to live out of this spiritual DNA, www.JimFredericks.com