Day 13: Worship that Pleases God

Mark 12:30

God desires my whole heart, mind and soul; not half-heartedness, or partial commitment or even second best. God desires all and He deserves all. Where you or I worship is not important, it’s why you worship and how much of myself I offer as a living sacrifice to God that truly matters.

There is a right way and a wrong way of worshiping. Our worship must be scriptural, based on Biblical facts, not based on opinion or assumptions of man. And we are to worship in spirit and in truth.

When we are told to worship in spirit and in truth; the spirit does not refer to  the Holy Spirit, but rather the genuineness of our hearts. God looks beyond words, and He focuses on the attitudes of our hearts. It’s about meaning what you say to the Lord; heartless words are meaningless to God – they are an insult.

God gave us emotions to worship Him, our emotions must be sincere, not fake. God hates hypocrisy, He desires your most sincere and truest love for Him. We can worship God imperfectly, not we must not worship insincerely.

God pleasing worship is deeply emotional

and deeply doctrinal. We use both

Our hearts and our heads.

There is a difference between being emotionally moved by music and being moved by the Spirit. Real worship is your spirit responding to God; not to the musical time. In fact, some sentimental, meditative songs hinder worship because they take the spotlight off God and focuses on your feelings. You are your own biggest distraction in worship – your worries, interests and what others think about you.

There is no “most appropriate or authentic” way to express praise to God, these arguments are often based on one’s background and personality differences. But the Bible mentions many ways of praising God – there is: confessing, singing, shouting, standing in honour, kneeling, dancing, making a joyful noise, testifying, playing musical instruments, and raising hands. The best style of worship is the one to which you express your most truest love for God, and that is based on your background and personality that God has given you.

 Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas

“There are nine ways people draw near to God:

Naturalists – they are the people who are most inspired to love God in an outdoor settings; they admire His wonders, His handiworks and are amazed at the beauty of life He has formed.

senate’s – love God with their senses and appreciate beautiful worship services that involve their sight, taste, smell and touch, not just their ears.

Traditionalists – they draw closers to God through rituals, liturgies, symbols, and unchanging structures.

Ascetics – these people prefer to love God in solitude and simplicity.

Activists – loves God through confronting evil, battling injustive, and working to make the world a better place.

Caregivers -  love God by loving others and meeting their needs.

Enthusiasts – love God through celebration

Contemplatives –love God through adoration and intellectuals are people who love God through studying with their minds.

If worship is mindless, it is meaningless.

Singing hymns, praying of clichés and careless exclamations of “praise the Lord” are meaningless and not pleasing to God.

It is easier to offer clichés of worship rather than making an effort to honour God with fresh words and ways. This is why it is very important to read Scripture to expand your expression of worship.

The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God

The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.

Make a list of synonyms you use and be specific in what you say to God. If someone came up to you and said; “I praise you!” ten times, you would probably wonder why and would rather receive two specific compliments than twenty vague general compliments. So would God.

Make a list of different names of God and focus on them; they tell of the different aspects of God’s character.

Real worship is rooted in the Word.

“I’ll bring You more than a song,

Because the song itself if not what You’ve required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You’re looking into my heart” (Matt Redman)

Point to ponder: God wants ALL of me

Verse: Mark 12:30

Question to consider: What is more pleasing to God right now – my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about this?