Worship is something that at first might seem a bit confusing, but in reality, it isn’t. It is within our human nature to worship something or someone. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (also a Christian) once said, “Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant and agonizing anxiety than find as quickly as possible someone to worship.”1 It’s a fundamental part of what it means to be human—just like eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping.
Sadly, there are more than 600 different religious denominational churches, each with different doctrines and beliefs, who are attempting to worship God in ways contrary to what he says in the Bible. Can there really be a wrong way to worship God? Yes. But it doesn’t have to do with the music style or the clothes you’re wearing. It all has to do with the heart.
The act of worship is a demonstration of respect, honor, or homage toward a certain object or person. In regards to our faith as Christians, our worship is to be directed toward our Lord and Savior. Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the one who created us.
Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop God-like and Christ-like characteristics. When we worship God, we develop traits such as forgiveness, tenderness, justice, righteousness, purity, kindness, and love. All of these attributes prepare us for eternal life in heaven with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Ultimately, the art of worship is something that we cannot truly understand until we take part in it. And although the act of worship might seem conservative and dry, there are many ways to worship our God in heaven. Worship itself is not just an act, but a lifestyle in which we can live.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be living sacrifices (a form of worship) to the one above. Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, contrasted by our own unworthiness.
VERSE OF THE DAY
“Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him” (Psalm 96:9).
CHALLENGE
Honestly answer the following questions:
• Do you worship selflessly?
• Do you worship honorably?
• Do you worship respectfully?
DISCUSS
What does worship mean to you?
When somebody says the word “worship,” what images typically come to mind?
How can we worship God throughout our everyday lives, and not just while we’re at church?
1 Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1880).
30 Words Daily Devotion
WORD 24 - WORSHIP
“Without worship, we go about miserable.”
—A. W. Tozer
Worship is something that at first might seem a bit confusing, but in reality, it isn’t. It is within our human nature to worship something or someone. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (also a Christian) once said, “Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant and agonizing anxiety than find as quickly as possible someone to worship.”1 It’s a fundamental part of what it means to be human—just like eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping.
Sadly, there are more than 600 different religious denominational churches, each with different doctrines and beliefs, who are attempting to worship God in ways contrary to what he says in the Bible. Can there really be a wrong way to worship God? Yes. But it doesn’t have to do with the music style or the clothes you’re wearing. It all has to do with the heart.
The act of worship is a demonstration of respect, honor, or homage toward a certain object or person. In regards to our faith as Christians, our worship is to be directed toward our Lord and Savior. Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the one who created us.
Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop God-like and Christ-like characteristics. When we worship God, we develop traits such as forgiveness, tenderness, justice, righteousness, purity, kindness, and love. All of these attributes prepare us for eternal life in heaven with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Ultimately, the art of worship is something that we cannot truly understand until we take part in it. And although the act of worship might seem conservative and dry, there are many ways to worship our God in heaven. Worship itself is not just an act, but a lifestyle in which we can live.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be living sacrifices (a form of worship) to the one above. Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, contrasted by our own unworthiness.
VERSE OF THE DAY
“Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him” (Psalm 96:9).
CHALLENGE
Honestly answer the following questions:
• Do you worship selflessly?
• Do you worship honorably?
• Do you worship respectfully?
DISCUSS
1 Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1880).
Wilson, J. (2016). 30 words: a devotional for the rest of us. (2nd Edition, Ed.) (pp. 140–143). Bellingham, WA: Kirkdale Press.