Living A Life Of Worship
We talk about worship all the time...it's a part of our every Sunday morning routine. But how big of a deal is "worship" in the Lord's eyes? In the Scripture He says it's THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS. So, let's take a look at some thoughts when it comes to what biblical worship is and what it isn't.
- Worship is LOVE EXPRESSED.
Let's just look at the actual word for "WORSHIP." It's a compressed form of an Old English word, "WORTH-SHIP." It literally means to "give something/someone WORTH."
But God doesn't need anyone to give Him "worth"! True. But because He has chosen to give us His heart, He LONGS FOR US to be close with Him...to love Him...to be near to Him...through worship. When you love someone, it matters to you that they love you back.
- Worship is not just MUSIC.
There's not a single word for "worship" in the whole Bible that refers directly to the word "music." Music is just one of many TOOLS to worship the Lord with.
But Scriptural worship isn't just a musical style or genre. If worship were primarily "music" or "style," I could judge it as "good or bad." I mean, I could decide whether or not to take part in worship based on my own musical PREFERENCES. If the song being played weren't "my style," then I wouldn't have to worship. There's only one problem with that approach: By doing that, in my heart, the worship would really be FOR ME. So actually, I would be making MYSELF GOD, instead of Jesus.
- True worship is a LIFESTYLE that wants to glorify God from the moment we wake up in the morning until we crash in bed at night.
Like every person who has ever LOVED someone else knows: If you really LOVE someone, you will somehow SHOW IT.
What are some ways we can show God our love?
- Lifting Hands
- Clapping
- Shouts of Praise and Genuine Joy
- Dancing
- Playing Instruments
- Praying
- Singing
- Every day, Normal Obedience
- Faithfulness and "Hanging Tight" During the Hard Times
So may we all become a little better worshipers today. Not in the same old Sunday morning service sort of way, but in heart. May we walk today in a greater "expressed love" for the Lord.
We talk about worship all the time...it's a part of our every Sunday morning routine. But how big of a deal is "worship" in the Lord's eyes? In the Scripture He says it's THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS. So, let's take a look at some thoughts when it comes to what biblical worship is and what it isn't.
- Worship is LOVE EXPRESSED.
Let's just look at the actual word for "WORSHIP." It's a compressed form of an Old English word, "WORTH-SHIP." It literally means to "give something/someone WORTH."
But God doesn't need anyone to give Him "worth"! True. But because He has chosen to give us His heart, He LONGS FOR US to be close with Him...to love Him...to be near to Him...through worship. When you love someone, it matters to you that they love you back.
- Worship is not just MUSIC.
There's not a single word for "worship" in the whole Bible that refers directly to the word "music." Music is just one of many TOOLS to worship the Lord with.
But Scriptural worship isn't just a musical style or genre. If worship were primarily "music" or "style," I could judge it as "good or bad." I mean, I could decide whether or not to take part in worship based on my own musical PREFERENCES. If the song being played weren't "my style," then I wouldn't have to worship. There's only one problem with that approach: By doing that, in my heart, the worship would really be FOR ME. So actually, I would be making MYSELF GOD, instead of Jesus.
- True worship is a LIFESTYLE that wants to glorify God from the moment we wake up in the morning until we crash in bed at night.
Like every person who has ever LOVED someone else knows: If you really LOVE someone, you will somehow SHOW IT.
What are some ways we can show God our love?
- Lifting Hands
- Clapping
- Shouts of Praise and Genuine Joy
- Dancing
- Playing Instruments
- Praying
- Singing
- Every day, Normal Obedience
- Faithfulness and "Hanging Tight" During the Hard Times
So may we all become a little better worshipers today. Not in the same old Sunday morning service sort of way, but in heart. May we walk today in a greater "expressed love" for the Lord.
Related Items
You are going to love this Youth Leader's Coach, "Practical Wisdom On Building A Great Youth Worship Team." I asked a dear friend and powerful voice in Christian worship, Jeff Deyo (former lead singer of Sonic Flood) to host this Youth Leader's Coach with me. I think you will really benefit from the hour we spend together.
In the fabric of a youth ministry, few things are more important than building a viable worship team. But few aspects of youth ministry can be any more challenging than this one area. Feel free to make copies of this Youth Leader's Coach after you listen to it and pass it out to your worship team (or worship team hopefuls). I think whether you are so desperate that you are singing with recorded music or whether you have a strongly-developed worship team, you will really benefit from this discussion.
As always, thanks for letting me be in your life.
Lovingly yours,
You'll love this Source, "Awkward Worship"! In this message I'm taking a run with my gang to up the ante on worship and remove some of the misconceptions of what worship is and is not.
We all know that worship can be awkward at times, especially if you're not used to it. So this message is a simple reminder that WORSHIP is just LOVE EXPRESSED. Like every person who has ever loved someone else knows: If you really love someone, you will somehow show it. With a simple, thought provoking drama and some key Scriptures, this Source will help turn "Awkward Worship" into a passionate lifestyle that glorifies God.
As an "added bonus," I've included the outlines for the other three messages we did in a 4-part series we called AWKWARD: "Awkward Silence," "Awkward Question," and "Awkward Book."
Lovingly,
