Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, It is good
to come and study your word and Lord, we know that you are worthy of all Praise
and Honor and Glory and we ask you Lord to help us to be able to worship you
more and to have your Holy Spirit speak to our hearts today.
Direct our paths and speak to
us through your word in Jesus name we pray, Amen
Worship the Way *** Intends
If the time you spend in worship each weekend
at church seems like it’s missing something, you may not be worshiping the way
*** wants you to worship. No, that doesn’t mean that *** prescribes just one
form of prayer that you’re not using, or a certain style of music that you’re
not singing. When your worship seems incomplete, your entire approach to
worship may be off.
True
worship – which is always fulfilling – revolves around ***, not your own
expectations. Feeling disappointed by your worship experiences is a signal that
you need to learn how to approach worship from the perspective *** wants you to
have, so you can worship the way *** intends:
Debunk the myth that worship is all
about you. Worship is all about ***, not you. So instead of asking what you
can get out of worship personally, ask what you can give to *** through
worship. Rather than being concerned about whether or not worship meets your
expectations (from exciting music to warm feelings), focus on how you can bring
honor and glory to *** as you worship.
If you approach worship by asking *** what He
has for you in your worship experience, you may not be satisfied. But if you
approach worship looking for opportunities to encounter *** and praise Him,
you’ll be fulfilled in the process.
Debunk the myth that happens just one
day a week. Worship isn’t just an event that you attend, like a
concert. *** intends for worship to be a lifestyle, in which you consistently
connect with Him. Beyond your church’s weekly worship service, you can keep
worshiping *** – at all times, and in all situations. Stop thinking of worship
as just an event that you passively attend, and start thinking of worship as an
ongoing process in which you actively pursue a closer relationship with *** and
express your love for Him. When you’re not at church, use spiritual disciplines
(such as prayer and Bible reading, meditation, and study) to help you worship
***. Also, use your relationships with other people to worship *** by sharing
your faith with them and serving them in the ways *** leads you to reach out to
help meet their needs.
As you
go through the mundane moments of each day, pray for the discernment you need
to notice ***’s presence with you and the many blessings He has given you. Then
thank *** and praise Him whenever you have an opportunity to do so. In that
way, you can worship throughout each day. When you’re facing challenging or
difficult circumstances, you can worship *** by praying brief prayers asking
for ***’s help and expressing your trust in His care for you. Any time you put
your faith in action to express your love for ***, you’re worshiping Him.
Debunk the myth that worship is just a
part of your life. Worship shouldn’t be just one part of your
life; it’s meant to permeate all of your life. *** hopes that, when you
worship, you’ll offer your entire life to Him and seek to find and do His will
for every decision you make. The only way to find real, lasting peace and
fulfill your potential as a person is to infuse worship into every part
of your life (not just the part of your life that involves going to church).
Since *** has designed all human beings to worship, you’re bound to worship
something, whether or not it’s ***. You naturally worship whatever you place at
the center of your life (which you can tell by how much energy, time, and money
you spend pursuing it). People can worship their careers, marriage, ********, the pursuit of money or pleasure, or anything
or anyone else that they devote themselves to more than they devote themselves
to ***. You also become more like whatever you choose to worship, as a natural
result of the worship process. So if you revolve your life around pursuing
money, you’ll become a materialistic person.
But if you revolve your life around ***,
you’ll become more spiritually mature. So aim for the goal of true worship: to
put *** in His rightful position as the focal point of your life. Fall in love
with *** and devote yourself completely to Him, revolving everything else in
your life around your relationship with ***.
What comes to your mind when
you think of Worship? A group of people singing
hymns and praise songs?
Prayers that declare ***’s
Nature and Attributes?
You’re right! But Worship is
so much more as we’ll see from the following Scripture passages!
Worship Affirms Who *** Is Psalm 29:2
This verse is part of a
contemporary praise song sung in many congregations. You cannot go wrong when
you use ***’s very words as lyrics. But you can go wrong when the songs are
sung in a manner that expresses spiritual
a