It's Friday....time for a Sonic break!
Chad, Stephanie and Ken at the Sonic...
having a quick slushy while waiting to get the Sonic winner cards!
Only two days till we have another opportunity to corporately worship our Lord. Speaking of worship, "how should we worship?," you ask. Today's scripture passage deals with the issue of worship, specifically verses 23 & 24:
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.
Many of our questions about worship are like those of the Samaritan woman. We ask where and how questions because we want to settle issues of form. Jesus' answers cut across form to deal with reality, with spirit and truth. She asked a question about art, Jesus responded with the issue of the heart. She asked Jesus where worship ought to be done, Jesus responded with what worship is.
"The place of worship is irrelevant, because true worship must be in keeping with God's nature, which is spirit. In John's Gospel truth is associated with Christ, a fact that has great importance for the proper understanding of Christian worship" (NIV study notes).
Read below an excerpt taken from a writing by Bob Kauflin:
Harold Best, in his book, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, defines worship in the broadest sense as "acknowledging that someone or something else is greater -- worth more -- and by consequence, to be obeyed, feared, and adored. . .Worship is the sign that in giving myself completely to someone or something, I want to be mastered by it. (pg. 143)
We want to be mastered by the objects of our worship. And indeed we are. We worship whatever rules our time, energy, thoughts, longings, and choices. "Those who make them [idols] become like them; so do all who trust in the
m." (Psalm 115:8, ESV)
A definition of worship that I appreciate for its simplicity and clarity is by Warren Wiersbe, who writes: "Worship is the believer's response of all that they are -- mind, emotions, will, body -- to what God is and says and does." (Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship, p. 26)
Today's devotional doesn't deal with worship as much as the woman at the well meeting Jesus, eventually trusting in Him and then sharing her knowledge and faith in Him with her village. Like her, we too can be a vessel that God can use. All we need to be is be willing.
YESTERDAY'S SONIC WINNER IS:
HANNAH JOHNSON
Congratulations Hannah. Thanks for sharing on the blog. Your comments as well as all the students and adults who shared over the past two days have truly blessed and enriched my spirit. Continue sharing because it touches many lives by the experiences you have had on your journey serving the Lord.
-- SONIC QUESTION OF THE DAY --
Tell me how you define worship.
You may write your own or look up what others say and pick one that you like.
Worshiping the Risen Lord,
Ken
Worship is having a heart of humility and gratitude, wanting to thank and praise the LORD we serve.
Hey daddy,
Worship to me is spending time honoring, humbling yourself and focusing totally on Christ.
The Hamster
Having a submissive heart, soul and mind to God through everything you do.
Cara Cox
I agree with all of these comments, and I also believe that any action that is given to us by God is worship! We must be willing, humble and open to be ready for it!
i don't think worship is limited to what we have in church on sundays or wednesdays, but can be in everything we do. worship for me is when i come before God and am completely just in awe of Him- whether it be with a thankful or broken heart
aaryn
We are looking forward to your worship with us here in Scotland. We now have your promo video on our front page as we begin to build up our advertising!!!
Worship is world wide. Do I qualify for a Sonic Card??? :-)
worship to me is humbling yourself before the Lord and standing in awe of how great He is. Worship is the way i completely connect with Christ and it is when i am consitrated on soley worshiping Him that i am closest to him. Worship can be anything that we do in honor of the Son of God. Worship is literally falling on your knees before God and asking him to make your life his.
Worship! By definition, "Religious adoration: the adoration, devotion, and respect given to a deity. Religious rites: the rites or services through which people show their adoration, devotion, and respect for a deity. Great devotion: great or excessive love, admiration, and respect felt for somebody or something." I believe that worship is different to different people. Aren't we all uniquely made - I know that if I look around, I don't see anyone quite like me - yes, we may have the same tastes, the same color of hair, or the same outgiong personality, but we are still uniquely and divinely created - one of a kind!!! So, should we all expect to worship in the same way. I have to admit that I am a very outgoing person - I am boisterous and loud and sometimes about "in your face" - but that is the way God made me and my worship tends to mirror those personality traits. I worship loud, boisterously, and a little "in your face"! I just can't help it! I never want to withhold anything from the Lord - all the praise that I can muster up - I want to give it to Him! Hallelujah! Worship has to be real! Worship has to be raw! Worship has to be genuine!