True Worship

There is always a danger that the Christian life will be compartmentalized into set activities rather than a complete lifestyle.  Worship of God does not occur after we pack into the car on a Sunday morning and gather in a building to sing songs of praise or listen to the Word of God preached.  The song should be in our hearts from the moment we rise, a song of thanksgiving unto God.  Our lives are intended to be an continual spring of worship, a life of obedience lived unto God for His glory.  Consider a paragraph from a message delivered by G. Campbell Morgan on the subject of worship (The Westminster Pulpit, Vol. 2, pg. 98):

"I do not worship God by going to China as a missionary if God wants me to stay at home and do the work of a carpenter.  I do not worship God by aspiring to some mighty and heroic thing for Him if the capacity He has given me is for doing the quiet thing, and the simple thing, and the hidden thing, and the unknown thing.  It would be very foolish for the hummingbird, instead of entering the tulip, to try to beat back the air and combat with the eagle.  It worships by staying where God puts it.  It would be very wicked for the eagle to cultivate a mock modesty, and say that it preferred to remain among the tulips when it ought to be soaring sunwards."

There is something in the heart of every person that desires greatness.  I believe all Christians with any depth of faith waxes warm at the prospect of doing something great for God.  To put it in a different way, we want to see God do great things and would be thrilled to be an instrument He uses to further His kingdom.  The question is, will I be content to play guitar and sing songs on a city street for His glory if the opportunity presents itself, or will I limit my gift for use in the most prestigious music halls?  A life of worship is not one lived in the spotlight, but behind the scenes.  If you reserve your service unto God until you have a grand task which suits your ambitions, you waste the talents and life God has given you.  Compelled by the love of Christ, it is adoration for God which motivates and moves us to live a life which fully pleases Him.

In the most simple terms, worship is obedience.  How many times does it say in scripture, "Praise the LORD?"  Many, many times!  We are told to pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks.  We are told not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and the joy of the LORD will be our strength.  When we are obedient to Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and has baptized His followers with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  How fulfilling it is to worship God!  It is so amazing how God has made the eagle and hummingbird so different, but with the same purpose - to bring honor and glory unto their Creator!  The eagle is girded with strength and amazing eyesight, while the hummingbird is lightning quick and has dazzling plumage.  One eats meat while the other drinks nectar, yet they are both birds with distinct beauty and inspire awe even in casual observers.

God has made people in like fashion.  You might be a carpenter, doctor, lawyer, fisherman, salesman, or work in the retail industry.  Perhaps you enjoy sports, music, dancing, collecting, traveling, or reading.  But you are not to be defined by any of these activities because you are a human being created in the image of the Everlasting God for the purpose of worshiping Him forever.  I close with a description of worship found in Colossians 3:12-17:  "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."