September, 2010
Dear friends,
What is worship? Why do we do it? Why does God want us to?
Worship is defined as “to feel an adoring reverence or regard.” To take it a step further with regard to God, it is recognizing who and what God is and celebrating it. We’ll never fully grasp Him, but we can most definitely learn new things about Him each and every day if we would just look and listen. Worship can be as simple as noticing things such as these and crediting them to the Maker of all creation:
• A cool breeze or a few changing leaves that gives us hope of cooler weather
• A kind word or smile from a stranger
• An incredibly intricate design on a spider’s web
• Income from an unexpected place at the very last minute that you need it
• A meaningful conversation with a friend
• An afternoon storm
• A child’s simple observations of the world
• Someone making you laugh when you really need to laugh
• The delicate pattern and colors on a butterfly’s wings
• A really great story
• A satisfying or productive day of work
We don’t have to go to church to worship God. In fact, if you consider that to be your one form of worship for the week, it’s probably not something God values very much. He’d rather have your everyday devotion. God is in all of our lives all the time, but do we take the time to notice Him at work? Start looking. Start listening. Point the “God moments” out to your children so that they, too, will learn to look and listen for Him. They’ll surprise you with the things they see and we jaded adults don’t.
Why should we do this? Because we want to know God more. To get to know someone, you have to learn about them and spend time with them. Plus, it’s a command to those who decide to believe in God. When you have some time to spend with God this week, you might want to read Psalm 95-100. These are Psalms of praise that celebrate who God is.
Psalm 96:1-4
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
Why does God want us to worship Him and none other? This is what God told Moses on Mount Sinai after he had chiseled the second set of Commandments:
Exodus 34:14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
When the Bible tells us that our God is jealous, it doesn’t mean He is jealous in a selfish human sense, but that He is infinitely good and He knows that He is better for us than anything else on earth that could take our attention from Him. The first set of Commandments on stone tablets were destroyed because the people had made an idol for themselves while Moses was up on the mountain. Moses destroyed the first stone tablets in his anger. If the people had remained true to God and worshipped Him alone, the first set would not have been destroyed. His jealousy is for our well-being.
One of the most significant forms of worship we can offer our Lord is to NOT trust in our own power. This is completely contrary to our culture of “believe in yourself.” But, this is one of the things He’s jealous for – our surrender to Him rather than our trust in ourselves. He gave us Jesus as a guide, as our authority, as our life. Read John 15 sometime when you’re feeling powerless. The simple fact is, we are powerless to do anything good or significant on our own.
John 15:4 Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
So, friends, worship Him today in a new way. Notice His glory in your life. Ask Him to show it to you and He will. Ask Him to give you the power to do good.
We’d like to challenge you this month to look at your box of food not just as a gift from God, but as an opportunity. Look around you for someone who is hurting or in need and bless them with some of your food just as you’ve been blessed month after month. Yes, this might be a sacrifice, but God honors true sacrifice. Ask Him to show you who to bless and how to do it. And, please tell us your stories next month of how God has shown you His glory!
Much love,
Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”