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What’s the big deal about worship?

Worship is a tricky subject. When we hear “worship”, our first thought is normally church music. If you grew up in a traditional church, worship means something wildly different than it does if you’re from a modern church, or a charismatic, “shout as loud as you can” church. Everyone has a style preference and opinion.

In His word, God makes a big deal about worship. There are tons of verses instructing us to praise God, to make a big deal about Him, to give Him the glory, just like this passage from 1 Chronicles 16:23-29:

²³Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
²⁴Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
²⁵For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be feared above all gods.
²⁶For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
²⁷Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.
²⁸Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
²⁹Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

When we read that, it seems pretty clear that we’re instructed to worship God! But what’s so special and powerful about worship?
It’s vital to understand the real meaning of the word worship. Equating “worship” with a short, emotion-heavy time in a church service that happens once a week is a powerless, inadequate understanding of what “worship” means. If we want to understand why worship is so important to God, we have to understand 3 foundational things about worship:

1. Worship is a lifestyle.

At the risk sounding too much like an English professor (sorry, English professors), the word “worship” comes from an Old English compound word “woerthship,” which means the state of having worthiness, or value.

Worship is more than a song. Worship is acknowledging God’s worth and value back to Him. It’s not about music, it’s not limited to Sunday mornings, and it isn’t bound to someone’s preferences. Authentic worship to God is about living a life that communicates value and worthiness back to God, and that serves as an example to others. The Apostle Paul gave us this reminder in Romans 12:1-2:

¹I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

In that passage from 1 Chronicles 16, David talks repeatedly about ascribing the value and worthiness of God back to Him as we offer sacrifices. Paul takes it one step further, and urges us that we are the sacrifices, that every part of our lives is an offering to God that communicates worship.

In 1 Samuel 15, we see that God delights in our obedience to Him more than just empty songs or offerings:

²² But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Our entire lives are going to communicate worthiness and value to something, just by how we live. Every time we use resources that are given to us by God, even the breath in our lungs, we are ascribing value to the things that we choose to prioritize. The question we all face is what’s actually worthy of that value? Worship is a lifestyle.

2. Worship is a response.

When we realize the significance of who God is, and we acknowledge our broken and sinful nature, it’s life altering. Think back to the moment when you realized your need for a savior, that it was your sin that Jesus took to the cross. That realization beckoned a response in your heart. When we come to grips with the fact that God is set apart, holy, and worthy of our worship, it begins to stir something in our soul that leads to a desire to respond.

This response shows up in a lot of ways. We sing songs, we study His word, we connect to a community of people who are trying to grow in their walk with Jesus, and we desire to obey and follow the things that He shows us through His word. We begin to outwardly express the things that God is doing in our heart by responding with our whole lives.

When we go back to our passage from 1 Chronicles 16, we start to see a trend. David continues the passage by giving us reason why we should respond to God. Worship is about responding to a worthy God, not just with songs, but with our whole lives, in obedience to what He has commanded us. Worship is a response.

3. Worship is a perspective-changer.

Bluntly put, it’s difficult to be petty, negative, and divisive when you have a right-view of who God is, and you do everything in your heart to respond appropriately with your whole life. The small stuff doesn’t seem to carry as much magnitude. Things that can easily sway our attention and affections away from God don’t seem quite as appealing. This isn’t to say that it’s not a real challenge to live out a lifestyle of responding to God in worship, but when we’re intentional about living a life in response to who God is, the way we view the trials that come our way is forever shifted.

In Acts 16, we read about Paul and Silas, who were in jail for proclaiming the message of Jesus. Yet, in the middle of their situation, the Bible says they were praying and singing hymns to God. Talk about an out-of-the-ordinary response! If you read the rest of that passage, you see that their worship not only changed their perspective, but that God was moved by their worship, and used it to also change their situation, and the situation of those around them! Worship is a perspective-changer.

 

This is all easier to say in a podcast or blog than it is to live out, daily. In the middle of a hectic week, without being intentional about reading His word, having a prayer time, or outwardly expressing worship with other followers of Jesus, we can disconnect from God’s design for us to experience and live God’s best for our lives. Be encouraged today: stay intentional about these things! Authentic worship goes far beyond music and church services. It’s our daily response to a worthy God, and it can radically change our perspective!

 

This devotional is one in Sugar Hill Church’s First 30 devotional series for college students.
To access the podcasts of this devotional and the entire series, click here.

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

– William Shakespeare

Have you ever heard that nagging voice in your head and heart?  The one that loves to speak negativity into your soul?  That little whisper that reminds you of all the failures, the mistakes, the bad decisions?  It’s daunting to consider all that we’ve screwed up, and if you’re anything like me, it’s a long list that fills up the page.  We’re human, living in a broken world.  It’s hard to choose to ignore that voice, because at times it feels like the voice is right about who we are.

It’s like a rusty anchor tied to the hope trying to bust out of your chest, that hope that longs to be more than you are.  The part that wants to be a better husband, a better wife, a better parent, and a better follower of Jesus.  The enemy knows exactly how to undermine your hope, and your own failures provide the ammunition.  Looking for some good news?  That voice can be silenced.

The great joy and reminder of the Gospel is this:

For all that call on the name of Jesus, not only is all of your sin slain at the Cross and overcome by the resurrection of Jesus, but the limitless, transformational power of a Holy God lives inside you.

If you are a follower of Jesus you serve a God that’s ready, willing, and able to do the impossible in you in order that He can do the impossible through you.  Scripture says that it’s by grace alone that we’re saved (Eph. 2).  The score-card of mistakes versus successes was never going to turn out well for any of us.  You’ve never been good enough, and you can never be good enough to earn God’s salvation, so stop treating that like the metric of your hope.  That’s the beauty of grace!

All the mistakes, the baggage, the guilt… a repentant and surrendered heart can be washed clean of those.  The chains tying you down to that anchor can be loosed by the same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the grave.

It’s not hard to realize that we’re broken people.  We all have the capacity to be selfish, greedy, bitter, petty, and we’re living in a crazy world full of others just like us.  But even in view of all the junk that tries to drag you down, there’s a profound hope found in Jesus.  There’s hope that the God of the impossible is able to change us from the inside out, to transform that brokenness into beauty.

As we surrender to Him, remember that there are no bounds to His grace, or His desire to do the impossible in you and through you… no matter who you are or where you’ve been.  We are painfully aware of the brokenness we all carry, but let us be reminded of the infinite goodness of a God that wants to guide our steps and use us for good, and for His glory.  That grace affords us a chance to be made into a new creation, day by day.  That’s good news!

We have the opportunity to choose.  Continue holding on to the baggage and listen to the voice that seeks to hinder us, or let the grace of God do something special in and through us as we surrender to Him.

Who are you going to be?

I grew up singing (okay, I wasn’t really singing back then…  but I was listening) lots of songs in church, but a phrase in one song still sticks out in my memory:

“Count your many blessings, see what God has done!”

I didn’t understand that line.  I do now.

Looking back over the last twelve months of my life, I see God’s grace/provision/fingerprints all over my path.  I’ve often been less than stellar at walking along that path, but God has proven faithful beyond my capacity for failure.  I can’t help but be awed and thankful for all He has done in my life during that time…  But that got me thinking…

I’ve heard it said that it’s harder to praise God during times of trouble than times of peace.  Perhaps for some, that’s true.  If we feel a sense of entitlement that our life should be a peachy stroll through the park (regardless of our propensity for sin and selfishness), then when things go awry we think God has somehow failed or wronged us.  How far from the truth!  But I’m seeing the other side of things.  Pain and sufferings are allowed by God because of this profound thought:

It is hard for us to give God praise and have reliance during times of certainty and comfort.

When things are going well, we don’t think we need rescue.  For those of us saved by Christ, we didn’t think we needed saving until we realized the gravity of our circumstance.  I can remember some of the hardest times in my life, including the loss of a loved one and a crippling fear of life changing decisions.  They were times that I was torn down to the point that I had two choices: rely wholeheartedly on a Savior, or believe that I was wholly on my own.  Perhaps, allowing us to go through tough times is one of God’s ways of realigning our hearts to Him and reminding us of our reliance on Him.  This doesn’t mean that all bad things are punishment, or that we should fear good times.  It’s simply a paradigm shift for viewing our situations, and understanding them for the blessings that they are.

I am struck by the notion that God is more concerned with our hearts than our comfort.  On the surface, this may seem a scary thought.  Contrary, we serve a God whose understanding is greater than ours, and who reigns in the realm of eternity.  I trust His judgement.

So, our state of being beckons a response.  I will do my best to chose to glorify a trustworthy God.  Will you join me in starting this revolution of thought?

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

– Romans 8:26-28

So, it’s been a little while since I posted something here on the blog.  Shame on me, I know.  I have disappointed the plethora of people that read this (hey Mom and Dad), and that is simply unacceptable.

A lot has happened since my last post:

• I got married! (yay!)
• I wrote some songs (again, yay!)
• I received graceful love from God (ok, continue the yay’s)
• Perhaps most importantly, I’ve grown as a person.

There’s something sobering about entering into a marriage commitment, more accurately a covenant, before God and man to another human being.  It’s a daily, powerful reminder to me every time I look down at the metal band on my hand.  I meant the words I said, and I mean them every bit the same today as well.  Still, it’s a sobering realization to enter into a commitment of such magnitude!

So, the question begs to be asked…  Why don’t we view our faith through that lens?  I know I’m guilty of belittling the covenant I made with God when I accepted the blood of Christ to atone for my sin, and to redeem me from my fallen state.

Today, I challenge you (and me) to think about what lens you view your world through.  Does the magnitude of your relationship with Christ change how you view life?  To every believer who claims Christ, do the implications of Christ crucified beckon you to live life differently?  Are you so rooted in the motions of “doing” daily life that you’ve forgotten what you meant when you called Him “Lord”?  Did you ever really understand what all that meant?

The questions are begging to be asked, and eternity beckons an answer.  May we be found looking through the right lens, lest we miss out on all He has for our lives!

There haven’t been many moments in my life that I’d call “life changing”.  Actually, there are just a few that I can name:

• Receiving grace through Christ
• Meeting Karen
• Learning to play guitar
• Feeling called to ministry

Most other things in life, despite being significant, didn’t totally alter my course.  In two weeks, another major event in my life will flip my world upside down and change me forever: marriage.

Since meeting Karen, things have gone down a path I’d never have dreamed.  God has used her to do some amazing things in my life, and now He’s letting me be bound to her in the most sacred and Holy way that two humans can make a covenant, as husband and wife.  This is one of the greatest gifts of love and mercy that I’ve ever been shown, and for that I’m thankful.

So…  What are some of the moments that have changed your life forever?

It’s finished.  Easter Sunday 2011 has come, and gone.  For those of us in “church world” this means many weeks of planning, thought, prayer, and preparation has culminated in what is normally one of the biggest Sundays of the year.

We celebrated, we sang, we read, we prayed, and we listened.  So what’s next?  Time to take a break, right?

I’m guilty of this propensity for complacency as much as the next guy.  But why do we, as churches, fail to “follow up” Easter with thought-out and prepared services?  Here’s a hint: if you want the biggest representation of the value a church places on its gatherings and teaching time, visit on the Sunday after Easter.

Careful, though.  Thought-out and prepared is different than manufacturing an emotional ride.  Sometimes we fall victim to the “restful” mindset of complacency.  In planning for Easter, we’re forgotten that (barring Jesus’ return mid-week) we’re going to have another service next Sunday.  Lost and hurting people will be walking into the church doors on the next week searching for the same truths that were presented so grandly on Easter Sunday.  Other times, we fall victim to trying to tame the beast called “momentum”, and somehow follow up all the emotional buildup of Easter with something inherently phenomenal.  In doing so, we forget about Jesus and the Cross.  If the following Sunday becomes about following up momentum from Easter, we’ve still missed the point.

Let’s return to the crux of our faith (pardon the pun).  Jesus was risen on Easter.  He’s risen the week after, too.  It’s not our place to make something phenomenal out of that truth: it’s inherently so.  Don’t fall victim to unprofitable mindsets.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to stay motivated to live purposefully?

It’s comical that we’re so prone to our fallen and broken view of life.  Some of us view the future as a monster lying in wait, eager to shred our perfect lives to bits.  Some of us view the future as the culmination of our happiness, a reprieve of all the wasted time it took to get “there”.  Do we even really know where “there” is?

If we view life through the lens of faith, saving faith in Christ, things take on a different hue.  Our futures become much more secure and meaningful, and the here-and-now becomes more fulfilling and urgent.  We start becoming motivated to live as though our days here have a greater purpose.

Excuse me while I read this until I start living like I believe it…

What say you?

So, this day marks my graceful entry into the online world of blogging, sharing, and otherwise clogging the web.

Excited to read this?  You probably shouldn’t be.

Bored by the thought of reading my mind?  You’re probably on the right track.

Either way, I’m humbled that you’ve read this far.  I hope these preponderant thoughts on life, faith, soul, and hope somehow brighten your days.

These, I believe, are preponderant thoughts not because they are mine.  Contrary, they’re the things that hold our minds captive during the restless nights, the lonely moments, and the peaks of joy.  The thoughts I hope to share and discuss are those that define us, the things that give us a common bond.

Thus, these thoughts which we dare not speak sometimes…  Here, let them freely flow that we all may grow.