Worship -- Part II

In Worship Part I, I wrote about the importance of seeing God for who He really is. Only through a clear vision of God's uniqueness and awesomeness can we worship Him as powerfully as we should.

So, once we "see" God, what do we do? There is a lot of debate in Christian circles today about the "right" way to worship. Do this! Don't do that! Everyone has an opinion and a preference.

The Bible describes many actions that have been used to worship God (this is just a very short list):

• Psalms 95: Come let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation, let us come before him with thanksgiving, and extol him with music and song.
• Psalms 47: Clap your hands all you people, shout to God with a voice of joy.
• Psalms 134: Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord.
• Psalms 147: Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
• Psalms 149: Let them praise the Lord with dancing, let them sing praises to him with timbre and lyre.
• Psalms 150: Praise him with trumpet sound, with stringed instrument and pipe, with loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
• Habbakuk 2: The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silent before him.
• Luke 6: Be glad and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.

Dancing? Leaping? Loud cymbals? You've got to be kidding, right? Some are quick to discount these acts of worship as "showy," or less dignified than hymns. The Bible says that all these actions are actions of worship.

But as we survey this permissive list of activities, it is imperative that we not separate that actions from an equally important component -- our attitude.

How many times did God say to the nation of Israel that it's animal sacrifices were "a stench" because the action wasn't accompanied by love? Remember Jesus calling the religious leaders of his day "hypocrites?" Why? Because their chief concern was piety, not love of God.

Hebrews 12:28 says, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe."

So, we worship (show gratitude) with our actions, but it becomes an acceptable service as we love God with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength.

Is there a wrong way to worship God? Yes -- when our hearts and our actions send two different messages. James wrote "Faith without works is dead." I would say too that "Works without love is dead."

As we worship on Sundays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, let's give God our voices, our hands, our feet, our knees ... and our hearts.