#239: Why We Worship

The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

I’ve been a Christian since I was a young boy. Over the years, I have worshipped God is many different settings. I have worshipped in churches, worshipped in classes, camps, conferences, and conventions. I have worshipped on camping trips, worshipped in the mountains, and worshipped at the beach. I have worshipped on high school campuses and college campuses. I have worshipped with large groups and small groups. I have worshipped in community and I have worshipped all alone.

Each and every setting is meaningful if the focus of my worship is God. Worship is not about me, my desires, or my preferences. It’s not about a song, a lyric, or a style of music. Worship is about God, his greatness, and his worthiness.

Today, I have been reflecting on the question: Why do we worship?

I believe everyone worships something. We may not realize what we are doing, but we all worship. While we all worship, we do not all worship God. We can worship ourselves, worship success, worship money and material things. We can worship celebrities, sports stars, and music artists. We can worship anything that we deem worthy.

As a Christian we want to be careful to only worship God. Why? He is the only one worthy of our worship. His name is above every name. There is no one like God. No one compares to him.

J.I. Packer wrote, “To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity "glorifying God" or "giving glory to God," and views it as the ultimate end, and from one point of view, the whole duty of man.”

The dictionary defines worship as the act of reverence or adoration for God. That doesn’t tell us much does it. Let me expound. Worship is bringing glory and honor to God. When we live for God’s glory and honor, we are living a life of worship. I want everything I do to be an act of worship to God

Hebrews 13:15-16 tells us there are two primary ways we worship. Here’s what it says…

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Here we see two ways to worship. The first is to vocally, verbally give God praise. We can do this by declaring praise, expressing love, gratitude, and adoration. We can also do this by singing praise to God, which is something we see throughout scripture.

I’ve heard people say they don’t like worship. Often they are talking about a particular style of music they don’t enjoy. But there are two things to remember. Worship is not for you. It’s for Jesus. Second, worship is more than a song.

Second, Hebrews 13 tells us we worship God by doing good and sharing with others. In fact, the scripture says this pleases God. So, we learn that we can bring God worship by how we live our lives.

I believe worship is an essential spiritual discipline. This fallen world is constantly pulling us away from God…away from the things that fan the flames of faith and encourage our spiritual growth. The only antidote is CONSTANT RENEWAL of our relationship with God and this happens as we worship Him.

I once read about Billy Graham’s wife. She kept a sign above her kitchen sink that read “Worship services held here three times a day.” She saw washing dishes after each meal as worship and she was right. Worship is a lifestyle. When we do what we do for the Lord.

Today’s Challenge: Make sure that worship is a part of your day. Through worship God is glorified by your praise and by your life. In doing so, you are encouraged and strengthened in your faith.