Many people
think worship is just something you do for formality. We worship God because we
know He exists. Because we know that He created us for His glory and He needs
our worship even though we do not see Him. He does not want to share His glory
with any other.
[My
intention is to make you see the attitude you need to have in order to truly
worship God]
What is the
first attitude we must have to truly worship?
a) Know the one you worship
True worship starts by understanding the one
you worship. True worshipers know that God exist beyond our human imagination.
i)
We cannot ascend unto God. This statement makes us know that we
do not need to ascend to God before we can worship Him. That is why Christ told
us to believe His words because he alone comes from the Father. No one has ever
seen Him. We shall only see Him when we meet in His kingdom after the judgment
day. But we are expected to worship Him here on earth.
ii)
No one fully comprehends His
majesty. The scriptures
make us understand that we cannot fully know the truth of God’s majesty. “Who
can be God’s counselor?” There’s none like Him. No one whom we can imagine in
our mind! Only man-made gods are in the imagination of the one who makes them
but our God is not.
· Who can describe the image of God or
His glory? No one can describe it, but what we know is that we are made in His
image. His image which is not the physical appearance because God is spirit
reason why we can only worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:23-24)
· What we know is that God exists.
This generates worship from our hearts. We have many names or attributes which
people have used to worship God such as
o
God
of peace
o
Great
provider
o
God
of Love
o
The
Lily of the valley
o
The
ancient of days
o
The
unchangeable changer
o
Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God, etc
We cannot list all the attributes because God is
beyond our imagination.
· This is what we need to know when we
worship God. He is someone to fear with reverence because we cannot know 1
millionth of everything about God. But He still wants us to worship Him and Him
alone.
b) Who can then worship God?
i.
Those with clean hands.
·
Only
those who have clean hands can truly worship God. They are not in conflict with
their neighbors.
·
If
you are in conflict, then you are guilty and your worship will be hypocritical
if you try to worship God. True worship comes from clean hands, clean lips and
clean heart. If you cannot care about
others, how can you understand the God who cares for all men? If you cannot show
peace, you cannot know the God who brings peace into the heart of men.
ii.
Those with a pure heart.
·
True
worship comes from the spirit and is truthful. The character of your inner man
determines your worship to God.
·
If
your heart is full of forgiveness, then you can identify with one who wants to
worship.
·
If
you have mercy for others, then you are one who seeks to worship.
This is what makes your heart pure. It makes you truthful before God.
You are not a hypocrite when your heart is pure. True worshipers worship in
spirit and in truth. (Jn 4:23-24) They worship with a pure heart!
iii.
The one whose soul is not carried to
vanity.
·
You
cannot worship a true God while loving things that are false. Psalm 12:2 makes
us know that vanity is spoken with flattering lips. So they are not true or
they are exaggerated. It also tells us that when you speak vanity, it is with a
double heart. How then can you worship God who will not share his glory with
any man? You’ll say “Yes I did this thing and God blessed me like this”. When
you really know is a lie. False testimony is vanity! It does not worship or
bring praise to God. Your mouth is a waste! The Bible says you are giving your
heart to those things rather than God. You pass your time talking bout your
wealth or achievements rather than seeing what God has done to you through
those things.
·
You
love the things more than the giver of those things. You have a double heart
and cannot worship God in truth. If you carry your man-made god, whether it is
an invented image or thing, or money, whatsoever you trust more, know that you
love lies. Because they have taken the place or position of the true God in
your life. Psalm 31:6 encourage us to hate those who regard lying vanities, but
to trust in the Lord.
iv.
Those who seek God like Jacob
·
Jacob
was a liar but when he realized that he could not go anyway with it, he turned
back to God. He cheated his brother and took his birth right. He did the same
to his father-in-law Laban in order to gain animals. From Genesis 32:22-30 we
see how Jacob’s soul wrestled with God. Who can battle with the Lord? No one.
But Jacob struggled with his soul before the messenger of God. He asked him to
bless him, but he did not know with whom he was struggling.
·
What
Jacob knew was that he was carrying a curse because of his lies and he needed
blessings. The Bible tells us that he asked for blessings but he did not know
the name of the person with whom he was struggling. He asked him “I beg you,
tell me your name” The man did not tell him his name but he blessed him. Jacob
knew that the man could bless him and reverse everything about his life, but he
did not know his name.
·
Because
the messenger was from God, it is considered that Jacob struggled with God. He
wrestled for his blessings, because he knew he could only have it through the
man whom he did not know after he had sent his family ahead of him. A similar
thing happened to Manoah in judges 13:17-18 when the angel of the Lord
announced to him and his wife the birth of Samson. He asked the same question
and the Bible says, the angel knew it’ll be difficult for him so he asked “Why
do you want to know my name?”
·
Before
you pass over to a new life, as Jacob passed over to Penuel, seeing sun light
upon him (Gen 32:31), you most face God and reconcile your differences with
God. You must struggle in repentance (Gen 32:10), and be on the side of God
before you can be victorious over your enemies.
·
Jacob
cleaned his past before he was ready to worship God. He worshipped God in
spirit and in truth. He could not abandon even though it was difficult for him
to know the name of God’s messenger. But he did not stop struggling with him,
knowing that his blessings will only come through the man he does not know. He
continued with him till the day was breaking and there he received his
blessings. That is the attitude of worship we need to put before our God!
Cleaning our past and showing a repentant heart, then remain truthful and faithful
in worship.
Amen!
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