Day#13 What on Earth am I Here for?
Worship that Pleases God-God WANTS ALL OF YOU!
God doesn’t want part of your life. He asks for ALL your HEART, ALL your SOUL, ALL your MIND, and ALL your STRENGTH (Mark12:30).
Where you worship is not as important as WHY you worship and HOW MUCH of yourself you offer to God when you worship!
The Bible says, “Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him.” (Heb12:28)
WOSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH!
People often say, “I like to think of God as....” and then they share their idea of the kind of God they would like to worship. But we cannot just create our own comfortable or politically correct image of God and worship it. That is idolatry!!
Worship must be based on the TRUTH of SCRIPTURE!!
God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and “DEEPLY DOCTRINAL”. We use both our hearts and our heads. To “worship in truth” means to worship God as he is truly revealed in the Bible.
When Jesus said you must “worship in spirit,” he wasn’t referring to the Holy Spirit, but to your spirit. Made in God’s image, you are a spirit that resides in a body. God designed your spirit to communicate with him. Worship is your spirit responding to God’s spirit!
HEART and SOUL
When God said worship God with all your heart and soul, he meant it must be genuine and heartfelt. Heartless praise is not praise at all! It is worthless, an insult to God! The bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1Sam16:7b)
***Regarding worship during praise and worship at church- Your biggest distraction is yourself- your interests and worries of what others think about you....
Here’s a tip that I used throughout the years... Close your eyes when you are feeling distracted by others... think about “WHO GOD IS” and “WHAT HE HAS DONE!!” This will help your spirit connect with his... and before long, you will feel so connected and loved by God, it won’t matter who’s there or what they think... You’ll do cartwheels down the isle if God asks you to... hehe
“Pleasing him should be your top priority!!”
Many christians are stuck in a worship rut- an unsatisfying routine- instead of having vibrant friendship with God, they force themselves to use devotional methods or worship styles that DONT FIT the way God shaped them!! God made us all different- so why should we all be expected to love God the same way? The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God!!
Christians use many different paths to enjoy intimacy with God: being outdoors, studying, singing, reading, dancing, creative arts, serving others, having solitude, enjoying fellowship, and many other activities... There is no “one-size fits all” approach to worship and friendship with God!! You don’t bring glory to God trying to be something he never intended you to be.
“That’s the kind of people the father is looking for; those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.” (John4:23)
WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY. CREATED DIFFERENTLY TO STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH. Unfortunately, our differences usually divide us, rather than unite and strengthen us!! We have to learn to please God by offering all of ourselves to him- a living sacrifice- using the unique things about us.. using the things he gave us to please him!
MIND
Keep your minds engaged! None of this empty your mind stuff... All throughout your day thinking “WWJD”
Jesus commands us to worship with all your mind. If worship is mindless, it is meaningless! Learn to use “fresh words” when praising like admire, respect, value, revere, honor, and appreciate.
Another idea is to make a list of the different names of God and focus on them. All of God’s names tell us about his character:The Alpha and Omega, Lord God, The Almighty, Son of Man, The First and the Last, Creator, The Shepherd, Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords... and many, many more... Go to smilegodlovesyou.org/names for an extensive list :)
God is pleased when our worship is practical
The bible says, “Offer your BODIES as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to god- This is your spiritual act of worship.” Why doesn’t he say “Offer your spirit?” Bc without your body, you can’t do anything on this planet. In eternity you will receive a new body, but while you are here, God says, “Give me what you’ve got!” He’s being practical.
Ever heard ppl say, “I can’t make it, but I will be with you in spirit.” Do you know what that means.. Nothing!! It’s worthless! As long as you are here on Earth, your spirit can only be where you are. If your body can’t make it, neither can your spirit!
STRENGTH!
It takes effort and energy- there is a price to pay!! Real worship costs...It costs our self- centeredness; you can’t exalt God and yourself at the same time. When Jesus said “Love the Lord with all your strength”; he pointed out that it takes effort and energy! It’s not always convenient or comfortable.. sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will.. hence, “A willing sacrifice”
Being willing involves: Praising God even when you don’t feel like it, obeying God even when you don’t understand, getting out of bed to worship even when you’re too tired, helping others when you are worn out... All of this is, and much more is offering yourself as a "willing sacrifice" to God!
ALL very PLEASING to GOD :)
Created 3 months ago
