Worship is a word that litters the lips of many throughout the church and our culture today, but I’d go out on a limb to say that many people have an an improper understanding of what the word really means and entails. The use of the word isn’t an issue, but the direction in which it points many people creates a misunderstanding or problem. By definition, worship means to ascribe a certain amount of worth to something or someone. Worship isn’t limited to a time or place. Worship doesn’t have to contain particular elements like music or singing. True worship is a matter of the heart. Knowing this can cause many to become uncomfortable when a little light is directed into their “worship” lives revealing all of the misplaced worth and adoration.
Many of us after reading just the title or opening paragraph of this blog may think to ourselves, “I’m fine… I don’t worship idols like they did in the Bible. I have no golden calves or Buddhas scattered around my home or life. I’m all good.” This in itself is a dangerous thought. We live in a culture filled with worship pollution. We idolize athletes, musicians, and actors. We pursue the latest and greatest of technology and fashion. Heck, we even have a show that claims to create “American Idols” out of average people. Keith Hudson, Pastor and Father of American Pop sensation Katy Perry, had this to say about misplaced worship in a recent interview, “I was at a concert of Katy’s where there were 20,000. I’m watching this generation, and they were going at it. It was almost like church. I stood there and wept and kept on weeping and weeping. They’re loving and worshipping the wrong thing.”
You see, every human being was designed to worship and does worship something in their lives. Worship is not difficult. Pastor Mark Driscoll says, “The human heart is an idol factory.” Consider an avid group of sports fans that never miss a game… they worship. Consider a group of music lovers that know every word to their favorite artists songs… they worship. What about the “trendy” dresser who is always the first to hop on board the new fashion wave… they worship. Our hearts are quick to worship food, sports, arts, music, and other cultural trends. Too easily we fall into the worship of power, work, relationships, comfort, money, fame, and success… but God calls us to worship Him and Him alone. He commands it, pursues it, desires it, and more importantly He deserves it.
Jesus says in Luke 4:8, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”’ John 4:23 emphasizes that the Father seeks such worshippers, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
So, when we choose not to worship God we aren’t just choosing not to worship at all because we are in fact created as worshippers… we are actually choosing to neglect our worship of our creator and replace it with worship of the creation. Regardless of what we worship the object of our worship other than Christ will fail to come through for us. Our worship of Christ is never vain. Genuine worship of Christ brings about genuine change. The first step to obedience is to submit in worship. Genuine worship isn’t just singing songs, raising hands, and getting a good emotional feeling. Genuine worship is seeing God for who He really is—His power, His holiness, His greatness, sovereignty, love, and compassion—and then giving Him what He’s worth… our full hearts and lives in an attitude of genuine worship.
So… the question remains. What do you really worship daily?
Tanner Royalty 