Worship How do you define worship? "Its more than just music"

What comes to your mind when you think about the word and the action of worship?

We all worship things and sometimes we worship people.  But how does worship play out in our relationship with God?  

Is worship just about the music and the style of music?  Or is worship the thing that can only happen when we are with others in church?  The word worship can bring up many questions and it can leave us a little puzzled at times.  So for the month of February we are going to go deep into the meaning of worship.  We are going to unpack it and we are going to experience it together.

So how does the dictionary define worship?

wor·ship  (wûr′shĭp)

a. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.

b. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.

2. Ardent devotion; adoration.

Now the dictionary will never ever be able to fully define worship or the experience of worshiping our God.  To truly understand worship one must experience it and in the experience of it one grows a deeper understanding of who God is.  

In John 4:23-24 we get a glimpse of what how worship is defined by Jesus.  This definition of worship comes while Jesus is in a conversation with a woman who does not know who Jesus is, she is attempting to match wits with Jesus.  The discussion goes into worship and where one should worship and how they should worship.  Jesus defines worship this way.  23“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. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”  Basically Jesus is saying that worship has to do with more than just songs, it has to do more with your heart.  We can sing songs but if we don’t have the right heart attitude, it really isn’t worship.  So what kind of heart do you need to have?  A heart that truly longs to give Him praise as a response to what He means to you.  A loud cry of You are the one!  A quite and still move of your heart to say that You are the one I want to follow.  Worship starts with your heart and then moves out from there.  What are you thankful for?  What do you think of God?  When you let it all out and you come before Him, then you are beginning to understand worship.  God is all powerful and He loves you.  So what is your response to Him?  Do you just carry on with your life or do you have take some time and cry out to Him letting everything in you know that He is king and that He is worthy of worship.  

Worship defined:  Knowing who God is and giving Him everything that you have as a response.   

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