As I think ahead to Sunday, I can’t help but reflect on what I read and what I’m going to preach about. Sunday’s sermon is about worship. It is about religion revisited but its focus will be on worship. I’ll be talking about the purpose of worship-is it for me/us or is it for Him? Is it for my/our pleasure or is it to honor and adore Him?
You see, the American church finds itself in a dilemma. We have become so much of a touchy-feely church (what makes me feel good and happy) that we have lost sight of why we worship. No? Why then do we ask ourselves or tell ourselves, “Well, I didn’t get anything out of that today.” Granted, there are churches which are dead and empty and talk a lot and say nothing. Vacate them. But on the other hand, if all we do when we get together is wonder what we are getting out of it, then we are worshiping for the wrong reason. In fact, maybe I ought to say we are worshiping the wrong person.
Keep this in mind: God inhabits the praise of His people. When we-either collectively or individually-worship Him with heartfelt praise, He is honored and finds a welcome home in our hearts. The celebration of Who He is should be uppermost in our minds and hearts. Let’s stop asking, “What did I get out of this?” but instead start asking, “What does God think? Did I give Him praise? Did I give Him proper honor and adoration?” That is guaranteed to change our perspective toward worship.
“Father, You are to be my focus of worship, not me. It does not and should not matter what I got out of it. It should be what did I give You.”
Since worship should be a lifestyle (and I am not the best representative of that), corporate worship should be just a carry over of what we do individually into a larger “corporate” setting. This is often Sunday morning. Worship is similar to anything other in life… You will only get out of it what you put in into it. However, worship, when lived and experienced from the heart, can pay much larger dividends in what God returns.
I agree Ryan and it also reminds me that I need to give worship to God in abandon.
Amen, Bill! It’s all about God, not about us.
Blessings!
Thanks for the amen martha!
Amen.. ALL for Him.
Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
..looking to Him..
… the upward look, not the inward or outward look.
Praise His glorious Name above all names!
All for Him for sure Shaz. Thanks for coming by.