Worship, its a word we often hear in our church gatherings but do we really fully understand the depths of its meaning? Do we live out a life of worship? Do we apply the TRUTH from Romans when it says to offer ourselves a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God? What does this is your spiritual act of worship truly mean? At our gathering Sunday morning, WORSHIP was written on a whiteboard and we were asked to list things that we felt exemplified WORSHIP.
Some of the things listed were: singing, praise, through our faith, walking on the beach talking with God. These are things that I would no doubt assume would reflect a worshipful heart. These actions are what I would do at a specific time. A time set apart just to worship my Lord.
But, then there was things like: how I think, my words and my actions. These things hit a chord in me that convicted my every action. How do I truly live? Do I live a life of WORSHIP to the Lord? And what truly is WORSHIP? Is it a time that I set aside to do for the Lord or be with the Lord or is it more?
We have been doing a “DNA” book in our small group that has been tackling one thing in our lives that we feel that God wants to change through the Gospel as it brings life and healing to it. This weeks topic was title, Worship and the Heart. It said:
When we look to something for significance, acceptance, approval, satisfaction, fulfillment, joy, security, that very act is worship. We are ascribing worth to something. We are saying, That thing is what will make me significant!
That person will make me acceptable. That person will give me security. That thing will save me! All life is worship. We are ALWAYS worshiping. Everything we do is an affirmation of who or what we are looking to for significance, security, approval, etc.
The reality is that your life is like a billboard you are advertising the thing that is most important to you. This is what I value! This is what saves me! That constant advertisement is worship. All of life is worship.
Another analogy is that our lives are like a garden hose that is always on. Worship is always flowing out of us like water out of that hose. The question is where are we going to point the hose? Something is going to get wet from our worship. But who or what is it? Its always on! There is no neutral on the worship gearshift of your life.
This drastically changed the way I see WORSHIP. Everything I do, I am worshiping something. The question is what am I worshiping in that moment?
I was reminded of a story in Luke 17 of the 10 lepers that Jesus passed going through Samaria and Galilee. They called out to HIM and asked that HE would have mercy on them. He told them to go the priests and show themselves. As the lepers began on their way they were healed. Only 1 leper turned back and praised God worshiping. He fell to his knees at Jesus feet thanking HIM.
In one moment all 10 were acknowledging Jesus. But then to the 9, their cleansed bodies were the new focus in that moment their WORSHIP was not for the Lord. Only 1 turned his focus back to God with a WORSHIPFUL heart. Not only was he now cleansed he was now made well.
This is a convicting story. How often have I cried out to the Lord to be cleansed and he so graciously and mercifully does and in my next breath that very thing that HE gave or cleansed now becomes my focus, my idol that I begin to WORSHIP.
What if we truly believed that we were always worshiping? How would we live differently? What changes would need to be made?
