Meaning of Worship

What do you think about when you hear the word worship? Is it singing the glorious hymns of times past or the upbeat tempo of praise choruses today? Is it the motivational sermons we hear from the pulpit today or the hell, fire, and brimstone that was preached in times past? What about raising our hands and saying amen?

Webster’s Dictionary defines worship as “the act of paying reverence to God.” Three thesaurus entries for worship include: revere, adore, and love. In The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren wrote, “Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.”

Ralph Martin states, “Worship is the dramatic celebration of God in His supreme worth in such a manner that His worthiness becomes the norm and inspiration of human living.” William Temples says, “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose--and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”

One can see that true worship of God is not about coming in and just praising God. It is not a spectator event. Someone once defined the game of football this way: "Football is that sport in which 60,000 people in the stands who desperately need exercise watch the struggles of 24 players on the field who desperately need rest.” You could add to the 60,000 in the stands another one million sitting in front of their TV’s. Worship is something you do.

True worship involves walking in obedience to God. Obedience is the submission to the instruction of an authority. Are we walking in obedience with God? “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)

God gave us a list of commandments to obey. He summed them up into two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He gave us these to obey, not to condemn us but to protect us. Just as parents love and protect their children, so God protects us because we are His children.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:15, 21-24)

However, what Jesus didn’t say was just as important as what He said. We must be careful because we can’t turn a cause and effect statement around without changing its meaning. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command,” which doesn’t mean, “If you keep My commandments you love Me.”

Saying so means that love is produced by obedience. If I get a speeding ticket, that should cause me to slow down. I don’t love the police officer for giving me the ticket, but that will cause me to slow down.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, then you will obey My commandments.” In other words, Jesus was saying that our love for Him produces obedience, or our obedience to His commands results out of our genuine love for Him.

While it is possible for us to obey Jesus’ words and not love Him, it is impossible for us to love Him and not obey Him. “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:24)

Because we love Christ, we obey Him and are dependent upon Him each day. Are we walking dependently upon God? Is God our pilot or co-pilot? If He is our co-pilot, we need to get on our knees so He rises above us. David was dependent upon God as the source of his strength. In Psalms 27:1b David wrote, “For the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom should I be afraid?”

Just as God provided manna for the Jews in the wilderness, He still provides for us today if we are dependent upon Him. In walking obediently and dependently upon Him, we still have to fear Him. “Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.” (Deuteronomy 8:6)

Proverbs 14:26-27 says, “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”
Do you fear God today? Is He your source of strength? Are you walking in obedience to His will and depending on Him to guide you? Some are hiding behind others, and it is time to get involved and truly worship the one true God.

"Many years ago a man conned his way into the orchestra of the emperor of China although he could not play a note. Whenever the group practiced or performed, he would hold his flute against his lips, pretending to play but not making a sound. He received a modest salary and enjoyed a comfortable living. Then one day the emperor requested a solo from each musician. The flutist got nervous. There wasn’t enough time to learn the instrument. He pretended to be sick, but the royal physician wasn’t fooled. On the day of his solo performance, the impostor took poison and killed himself. The explanation of his suicide led to a phrase that found its way into the English language: 'He refused to face the music'" (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado).

Today you can pretend to be a part of God’s orchestra by just blending in with the crowd and going through the motions. No one notices here because you say the right things, go to the right places, and hang out with the right people. And you can enjoy the comfort of being accepted by the crowd of your choice. But there will come a day when you must face the music. One day you will be separated from everything. On that day you will stand alone before God and give an account for your life, your decisions, and whether or not you were tapped into the living water.