Worshipping God

I rejoiced with those who said to me “Let us go to the house of the Lord”.  Psalm 122:1

We sang this Psalm at the beginning of the worship service, on Communion morning, just a few weeks ago.  Our minister asked if we were coming to worship with a smile on our face.  Why?  Because we should rejoice as we come to church to worship God.
When we come to church to worship each Lord's day, are we there through habit or, is it because we really want to come together with other Christians to worship God?  Assuming it is the latter, how should we worship Him?

The worship of God is the most important activity in which we can engage.  The purpose of our worship is to glorify, honour, praise, exalt, and please God.  Our worship to God must be humble and reverent.  Jesus says in John 4:23-24, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth."  It doesn't say we can worship God anyway we want, but we "must worship Him in spirit and in truth".  The word "must" makes it imperative.  There is no other way we can worship God and be acceptable to Him.  Worshipping God in spirit and in truth is a serious matter which must not be taken lightly. Since God is the object of our worship, He and He alone has the right to determine how we are to worship Him.  Our very best in worship is due to God and is prescribed by Him in the Bible.  The Christian's worship is of the greatest importance and is a time when we pay sincere respect, love, and devotion to the One who created us.

Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, compared with our own unworthiness.  God does not have to have our worship, but we must worship Him to please Him.  Our singing, praying, studying His word and giving, are designed by God to bring us closer to Him, thus becoming more like Him.  James 4:8 tells us to, "Come near to God and he will come near to you".  Our worship not only honours and magnifies God, but it is also for God's blessing on us.

We must therefore worship God "in spirit"  In 1 Corinthians 6:20-21 we read, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honour God with your body."  This means with reverence, attentiveness, and having the right motive for worshipping God.  In Hebrews 12:28-29 we are told, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." 

In order to worship God in the right spirit, we should take time before worship to make our hearts ready so we will be in the proper frame of mind.  We should not have to rush or hurry to worship, arriving late but should always plan to be there early enough so we can be in a worshipful attitude and spirit.  Our mind must be ready, attentive, and alert and show reverence and respect to God.  Reverence is not having a long face.  Worship should be a time of joy for us.  It is a time of offering thanks, adoration, praying, singing praises to God and feeding on His word.

There is an erroneous idea in some religious circles that the main reason we attend worship is to "get something out of the service", rather than going there to give our worship to God.  The emphasis all too common is how the worship service can be made more entertaining to people to please themselves and not God.  We must be concerned with what God says on how He is to be worshipped instead of what we might want to offer Him.  If we worship God as He wants us to, we will experience His blessing.  Hebrews 13:15 says, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name."
Since worship is such an important activity for a Christian, shouldn't we take every opportunity to avail of it?  Our congregation meets twice each Lord's Day for corporate worship.  Each member of the congregation has a responsibility to God to endeavour to be present at each of these services, unless there is a legitimate reason for being absent.

As we enter a new year, let each of us resolve to regularly attend worship, not out of habit, but out of a real and earnest desire to worship God, with glad and joyful hearts – with a smile on our face!