Worship #4

This is my fourth post on worship. I could have 400 more post on worship becasue the topic and doctrine of right worship is that huge. Reading through the Old Testament alone I have found that worship is not only a right heart bent towards God but worship is also a lifestyle and culture that must come from the true worshiper. I was reading through some of Isaiah earlier in the week and came to understand false worship. False worship is worship that is either done towards one's self but claimed to be worship of God. And false worship is also worship done with an idolatrous and self-centered heart. The Israelite's in Isaiah's day were worshiping God but also had false idols and were self-centered people. God rejected this worship of Him becasue it was not genuine and true. It was a false or fake worship. Reading through God's rejection of this false worship made me question my worship in 3 key areas.

1) Why do I want to worship God?
As a child of the King this should be a simple answer. I want to worship God becasue He is the Savior and Creator of my soul. Yet many times I find myself wanting to praise God or be grateful because life is easy or something hard and painful is over. As a true worshiper of God and having right worship, I must praise God in the pain and be grateful to God when life is totally against me. Remembering David praised God in the middle of the pit and Saul trying to kill him is key. David praise God for who He was alone, not for the circumstances in his life. I must worship God for who God is period!

2)When should I worship God
Again this should be an easy answer as a child of the King. I must worship God 24/7. And yet there are times when I am far from worshiping God. Whether I am in the middle of a sin or wallowing in the broken circumstances, I at times never desire to worship God. True worship that God will never reject does not have an off switch. I can't go from worshiping an idol and then show up at church and want to worship God. This is the same thing that Israel did and God rejected their worship. I must worship perpetually and not turn off the switch. Repentance is one of the most important acts of worship also.

3)How do I worship God?
This question of worship to God goes right along with the last question. If I do not want to have a false worship that God rejects, I must have true worship of the heart. And if worship is 24/7, then it must not just be words or songs that flow out of my mouth. I need to worship God in many different ways and in many different forms, that all stem from the genuine heart of worship. Here is a small list that makes up a portion of a greater list of worship activities. Worship is; singing songs to God, surrendering my material/money back to God, learning from the Bible, repenting when I have sinned, making a disciple or planting a seed of the Gospel, loving my wife/husband, teaching my children about Jesus, fellowship with my faith family, and the list can go on. How I worship God can look so many different ways that the list is limitless, as long as the worship is about and for who God is alone.