Saturday, February 16, 2013

Five Bible Verses on Worship


1. Psalm 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord , our Maker!

In this Psalm we see the basic instruction from God through his servant David. Let us worship and bow down! I love reading David's Psalms because he was always so excited and enthusiastic about his creator. He was never one to be luke warm in his praise. He was excited about the love of God. And through that excitement and that firm foundation he knew through and through that praising God was a great thing. it brings us closer to God! In praise for him we are given a glimpse of how it feels to be close to God.

2. John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

God is the holy spirit. God is Jesus Christ. They are all one in another. In this passage we are reminded that the holy spirit is God. And so we must be in the spirit when we worship. We must be in a mindset where we feel the connection to God. The holy spirit connects us to God. So we must be in the holy spirit, in our minds when worshiping. This is a good tip for prayer as well. Our worship must be sincere, and this is where the truth comes in. Truth could also refer to being clear of mind and sober minded. So how do we get into the spirit? As I always say, asking God is a great thing to always do. His answers are often quick! I know many times I don't feel in the "mood" to worship or pray. So I ask God to put me in that place, and he does!

3. Colossians 3:14-17 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In Colossians we are reminded that love is a powerful ally. God is love after all. In this troubled world we tend to be systematically stripped of all the love in our hearts. We're discouraged from showing affection to our friends, as that's "bromance." We're encouraged to have skin deep friendships. We're encouraged to put on appearances. Often tragedy in our lives strips us of our love. People who betray us take our trust. People who harm us add fear to our hearts. The news scares us to death every night. I don't think anyone ever said it would be easy. But the more we put on love in our hearts the more we add God to our hearts. The passage says "be thankful." It would seem in this passage that it's a minor side note. Incorrect! There are no minor side notes in the Bible! It's why I pick apart small passages because every word has a wealth of meaning! BE THANKFUL. The more we look around ourselves and think, "Wow, this is really something" the more we add joy and happiness to ourselves. This in turn increases our love for others. It also increases our love for God. Being thankful is the starting point where love can build from to blossom in our lives. I myself often struggle with a jaded view of society and people. When I get into that mindset it harms my walk with God. The more I try to see the good in people the more I start to see the good in everything. This brings me closer to God. This passage really says so much. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly! Let your mind take in the wonders of the word and let that grow you into a new person. I know it has for me. Teach each other the word! Admonish, or warn each other against sins and transgressions. We are told to sing vocally the songs of God. Then we have a song in our heart. I know at first I found it hard to sing at church, but eventually I just gave in and did it, and now I love it. Once again we are reminded near the end of this verse to be thankful! Do everything for Jesus, as he would want you to do it.

4. Isaiah 12:5 "Sing praises to the Lord , for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.

In this passage in Isaiah it is most likely referring to preaching and speaking the word of God. It could also refer to vocal singing, but more I think it means to praise God's actions to others. Let the whole earth know about it! Do not hide it. In our modern culture its often considered taboo to talk politics and talk religion. Well politics is one thing, but we can't let unspoken rules keep the truth of God caught in our throats. We must tell others. That doesn't necessarily mean approaching random strangers, though there are some who are called to that ministry. We ought to start with our friends and family. Why not tell them of the good it has done in our lives? So we often worship God by telling others about his great works. Amazing.

5. Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

In Romans an appeal is made to us by Paul. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice! We ought to fully commit ourselves to the Christian life. We must show our lives as a living act of worship to God. The words "holy and acceptable" are used. Holy and acceptable is something we could never be before God because of sin. And through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we find ourselves in the place of being holy and acceptable without even earning it! How wonderful! So while we hold this place, despite our actions we ought to aspire to be that individual that is holy and acceptable in God's presence. So by living the life God wants us to we offer a great spiritual worship. We show God that we are obedient to him through and through. We show him that this is the way we ought to live and we know it.