Tag: Obedience

Worship

Published on by BrandiLeave a comment

What do you think of when you hear the word “worship”? For a lot of us I would bet we think of singing in church; we think of giving ten to twenty minutes once or twice a week singing words that may or may not mean something to us. Or perhaps we think of our tithes and offerings as worship. Both of these things are worship, but they are only the tip of the iceberg.

So then if we’re missing the point, let’s ask some questions.

  1. What is worship? 
    • Worship is the expression of adoration or reverence.
    • Worship is something that God alone deserves (Exodus 20:2-6).
    • John 4:23-24 says that “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”(emphasis mine)
    • 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “to obey is better than sacrifice.”
    • Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (emphasis mine)
    • Isaiah 29:13 says that if we are only honoring God with our lips but not our hearts, we are not truly worshiping.

    Essentially, worship is not something that we do once a week, it is something we are to do through our lifestyle. We are to worship in Spirit and in truth, two   things that are forever inside us when we allow Jesus to take His rightful place as   king of our lives. Offering our bodies as a living sacrifice is not something you do once, it’s continual dedication of ourselves to the Lord.

  2. Why do we worship?
    • If you’ve ever been in a relationship with someone you really like you know what it’s like to desire to get to know someone. You want to know everything about them – what they like, what they dislike, what makes them tick, their middle name, everything! – and the more you know the more you want to know. Our relationship with God is similar: when we spend time with Him and get to know Him, it stirs up the desire to get to know Him more, and when we get to know Him, we can’t help but worship Him.

•••

Worship is so much more than singing songs and giving money, it’s continually honoring God with our lives.

When we obey His command to love our neighbor, that’s worship.

When we choose to be like Jesus and pray for those who persecute us, that’s worship.

When we take the high road instead of stooping to the level of those who hurt us, that’s worship.

When we extend grace, that’s worship.

When we choose not to compromise our values, that’s worship.

When we stand and sing and pour out our hearts to the Creator, that’s worship.

When we use our gifts to further His kingdom, that’s worship.

When we die to ourselves and live solely for Him, that’s worship.

Our lives are meant to be continual acts of adoration and reverence of our Creator and King. Worship is not something you get away from life to do, worship is something you do amidst the messiness of life. Everyday is a blank slate. Everyday is a chance to choose God or self. What are we going to choose today?

Photo credit: unsplash-logoAnubhav Saxena

 

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The Past Few Weeks

Published on by Brandi1 Comment

So this post is probably going to be a lot of rambling, but that’s how I talk anyway so it’s fitting! So much has happened recently and God has taught me so much.

The first thing that He has really shown me He did in a pretty cool way. First, my pastor preached an amazing sermon on fearing the Lord and being obedient (Watch the Sermon Here). The same day, my reading in Exodus 3 pertained to fearing the Lord (I blogged about it, Taking off our Sandals). As if that weren’t cool enough, from then – two weeks ago – until this morning even, my readings in Exodus and Psalms have been talking a lot about fearing the Lord and obeying Him. I also randomly decided to read 1 John, guess what that talked about, too? So God has definitely been trying to tell me something here. Through, the sermons and my readings, God has really shown me that knowing Him, fearing Him, and obeying Him go hand in hand in hand. Following God’s commands isn’t a burden, it’s a blessing. When we try to do things our way, we get entangled in sin, and it starts to destroy us. When we do things God’s way, we prosper. It is only then that we are truly free.

“Clear the Stage” by Jimmy Needham (Clear the Stage) is one of my favorite songs. It talks about crushing the idols in our lives. It makes me think of the times when I know I should read my Bible or pray and instead I do x, or when I am reading my Bible and I’m trying to rush so I can do x. I’ve realized that whatever x is has become an idol in my life, and I’ve had to do a serious heart check. I can’t let anything come before my quiet time with God, my following His commands.

You know what else? Relationships are work, like a lot of work. More than I ever realized. There are times when my fiancé (we got engaged on May 30! YAY!) wants to call me and I’d rather read or watch Netflix (sorry, honey… 🙂 ). But that’s not the way it works. Did you know that your significant other needs, like, attention and stuff? Okay, I’m being dramatic. I love talking to and spending time with him, but sometimes I’m just tired and my book or show doesn’t require me to talk back. But relationships take work, they take time, they take – gasp – communication, and most importantly, they take you both being on the same page – especially faith-wise. So, I make sure to talk to, rotate, and water my fiancé. Wait… that’s my aloe plant… but the point is, relationships take work to grow, and if you aren’t growing, you’re dying. (Please excuse all of my cheesy jokes, I’m tired.)

Okay, one more thing to ramble about! It is such a huge blessing to have a job you actually enjoy waking up and going to. I love my job. But that’s not the main point, the main point is that whether or not you like your job, no matter what your job is, you can show the love of Christ. Now, I can’t exactly sit and talk to each of my guests about how much God loves them – the people in line behind them may start to get really impatient. But I can show Christ-like love in the way I speak to guests, in how I go above and beyond to serve them, in serving my co-workers without them asking. No matter what your job is, you can serve God, even if you never get to say His name. Show Him, serve Him, with you actions, your character, you attitude. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”  Take this piece of Scripture to heart and apply it to your life.

 

Well, lovelies, that’s all I have to say. If you made it to the end of my rambling, congratulations, you’re awesome! I’d love to hear from you lovely people! Until next time!