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Elements of a Life of Worship



Relationship
In order to praise God for who He is, we must know Him, His nature, His desires, His plans, His heart. It is impossible to praise and worship someone you do not know personally. The more you know Him, the more you love and worship Him. The more you worship Him, the more you know Him.

In worship, there is communion. The more you commune with Him and He communes with you, the more you know Him. Our relationship with the Father must be a growing, ever-increasing one.

A Yielded Life
To be one who lives a life of worship is to be one who is yielded to God's Spirit. As we yield ourselves to His Spirit, He changes us from Glory to Glory! As we willingly cooperate with His Spirit, He works in us to will and to do His good pleasure.

If we go through the motions or outward expression of praise and worship, but our hearts are not yielded to Jesus, we merely praise Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him. It then becomes an act that is vain worship. It is fruitless worship. It is strange fire.

Whoever you praise and worship (give worth to) is who you give your life to. Whoever you give your life to is who you praise and worship. This yieldedness must be lived out daily. Every day we have the opportunity to live the yielded, crucified life. When we yield to the Spirit of God rather than to our flesh, we have worshiped Him (Galatians 2:20).

A Thankful Life
To live a life of worship is to have a thankful heart and attitude. God reveals to us that thanksgiving is a gateway to praise and worship. As we live the thankful life, we enter easily into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4).

We are to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord in all things, and we are to come into His presence with singing. We are to give thanks to Him and bless His Name. Accordingly, Scripture shows us that God inhabits and is enthroned upon the praises of His people. Praise is His address - it's where He lives (Psalms 22:3; 100:2,4).

Thankfulness in our hearts is expressed with the words of our mouths. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Thankfulness changes things! Thankfulness changes attitudes, changes situations, and changes us! As we give thanks to God and praise Him, His presence is in our midst and His Glory is revealed (Matthew 12:34).

Passion for His Presence
In the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy. In Him is our life, our health, our peace, our hope, our joy. He has created us so that everything we need, we find in Him! In His presence, our longing hearts are fully satisfied. We are complete. We are fulfilled. We are created for His pleasure, and this is where we find our joy. His desire is for His people, and our desire is for Him. There is a longing within us that cannot be satisfied by anything else but our intimate communion with Him. The things of this world grow strangely dim in the Light of His glory and grace. We must so desire His presence in our lives that we allow nothing to take His place or to distract us from knowing Him. He is our greatest passion. No one else, nothing else can fulfill the cry of our hearts!

Extravagant Worship
To live a life of worship is to be an extravagant worshiper. Even as the woman who broke the precious alabaster vial of perfume upon Jesus, so we pour out our lives in worship to Him. As we do this, our very lives become a sweet fragrance to Him and to others. As we praise our God, we declare and show forth who He is!

When we worship our God, there is a gathering or drawing in of people. This drawing comes from the Presence of the Living God who dwells in, and is enthroned upon the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). As God our Father is enthroned upon our life of praise, He draws all men to Himself.

What is Worship?
It is our life in relationship with Jesus, being lived for and being offered daily to Him. Worship is our lives exalting Him, giving Him honor and blessing Him in the easy times, the hard times, joyful times, weeping times, at all times. It is our showing forth His praise - His excellence in every circumstance of our lives (Romans 12:1).

We have such a limited view of praise and worship! It's so much more than singing a song or playing an instrument! It's so much more than a once or twice a week event within four walls of a building!

Just like the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, we often have a narrow understanding of what true worship is. Jesus revealed to her that worship of God is not limited by location, nationality, or anything else. Jesus taught her that true worshipers worship God in Spirit and in truth. Man is so often encumbered by traditions, rules, laws, and regulations in worship! Many times we are more concerned with what day, what time, what location, and other outward boundaries rather than true worship which proceeds from the Spirit. As Jesus Christ has revealed the Father's heart to us, we understand that the day or time is not of central importance. Jesus taught us that He is our Sabbath day of rest! The issue is not a time or place (or what other people think), but our relationship with Father God through Jesus Christ, His Son! Worship is our lives fully yielded to Him. It is His life lived through you and me!


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