Week 19: What is worship?
Music is usually the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word “worship.” While it’s true that we can worship God through music, the act of worship is so much more than singing songs on Sunday morning. Let’s look at what God says in His Word about what worship really is.
Be ready to read the following passages:
Let’s start it.
How have you shown love for someone this week by doing something that pleased him or her? How has someone shown love to you?
Let’s learn it.
Moses gave the Israelites a simple definition of worship – love God. It’s a two-word command packed with the secret to living a life that pleases the Lord. Turn to Deuteronomy 6:5 in your Bibles and see how Israel was instructed to love God.
God’s chosen people were to love Him with all of their heart, soul, and strength. That meant loving Him with all that they had, with every part of their being, with everything they said, and with everything they did. What a big responsibility! If you are a follower of Christ, then you have that same responsibility. As a matter of fact, Jesus quoted Moses’ words when He was asked which commandment was the greatest. Read Matthew 22:36-40 and Mark 12:28-30 to hear exactly what Jesus said.
The most important thing you can do is to love God with your entire being. But how do you know if you truly love God? Let’s explore the four parts of your person that Jesus mentioned. Your heart and soul are your feelings and your desires. They reveal your true inner character. Giving your will to God helps you to follow His instructions instead of your feelings. God’s instructions in Scripture never change, but our feelings change all the time, don’t they?
Your mind is the center of your thinking, remembering, and processing of information. It gives you the ability to make decisions about what you will and will not do. Your strength supplies the energy to carry out those decisions. When your thoughts please God, then your actions will please Him as well.
God wants to create a desire inside of you to honor, glorify, and praise Him with your whole life – the parts that everyone sees as well as the parts of you that only He sees.
True worship shows up in how you live life each day, not just by what you say and do at church. Eagerly obeying God’s instructions without complaining or delaying is evidence of your love for God. Every moment, every decision, and every relationship should reflect how much you love God – that’s worship!
Let’s discuss it.
- How can you use each part of your being – heart, soul, mind, and strength – to please the Lord?
- Discuss how you can live out the words in your favorite praise and worship songs by what you think, say, and do this week.
Let’s do it.
When the most important thing in your life is to love God, you’ll want to please Him. If you do your very best at school or at work because you love God, then that is worship. If you obey your parents because you love God, then that is worship, too. When you put someone else’s wants and needs ahead of your own because you love God – it is an act of worship.
But it’s impossible to truly love someone if you don’t spend time with that person. Spending time with Jesus through personal and family devotions will help you to know Him better and fall deeper in love with Him. Do you set your mind on loving and pleasing God first thing each morning? Try to put at least one verse of Scripture into your thoughts as each day begins. Consider playing praise and worship music as your family gets ready for the day. Then make every effort to live out what you have put in. Start this week to develop a lifestyle of worship.