Title Give the Best (Psalm 95:1-7)
Contents
give the best
(Psalm 95:1-7)
Worship exposes our lowliness and worships God's highness. Worship is about serving God with joy and thanksgiving and with fear and trembling. This text is a psalm that clearly shows that worship is a pleasant encounter with God. In this psalm, God is inviting us to worship. It tells us what attitude we should have when we come to God in response to God's invitation. In other words, the attitude of the heart of worship is well expressed. Worship is meeting God with joy, gratitude, and respect. I pray that today's worship will be such a worship service.
Worship is the act of giving the best to the best. Of course, God is the target. God is the supreme being that no other being can follow. But the question is whether the worshiper gives the best. Today, let's take a look at this and share the grace.
attitude of worship
Worship is important, but what kind of heart you give is more important. It takes joy, gratitude, and humility. EX) When it comes to restaurants, kindness is important. Likewise, the attitude of the worshiper who stands before God is very important. “Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us sing for joy to the rock of our salvation” (1). The attitude found here is joyful. Let's sing praises to God, who is the rock of salvation, but let's have fun. Worship is not just a sense of duty. It is the Holy Spirit who gives pleasure. Joy is one of the seven fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
Of course, in a happy heart there is gratitude. “Let us come before him with thanksgiving, and let us sing joyfully to him with psalms” (2) What is gratitude? Thanks for salvation. Next is humility. “Come, let us bow down and worship; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (6). Kneeling before God is worship and worship. Those who are still alive cannot worship properly. you must break me You must surrender before God. I must throw away all my thoughts, my will, my will, my knowledge, my health, and my claims and listen to God's word.
Why should we worship with joy, gratitude, and humility? It is because this kind of heart is the heart to love God and the heart to think. Worship is an expression of thinking about God and loving God. Those who love God can have this attitude of heart and worship. On the other hand, a person who is full of anger, complaints and resentment, and is proud and self-assertive, can worship properly? Such a person is merely a person who worships himself through the act of worshiping God.
the essence of worship
Confession of faith refers to how you think about God. The poet says that God is great. No being named God can follow God. You are the highest. He is the one who made everything in this world. Yes, the essence of worship starts here. Only those who acknowledge that God is the greatest can worship Him. It differs from other religions in this respect. God does not want a religious life. He wants to make a profession of faith and live a life of faith according to that confession.
Worship is the act of giving the best to the best. To do that, we must first acknowledge that God is the best. The next time you give him the best, your worship will be successful. The object of worship and the content of worship are important. The object of worship is God. The content of worship is the act of returning the highest value to God. Those who value money the most are those who worship it. Anyone who regards children or parents as the most valuable is also a worshiper of the family. So Jesus said these words. [Matthew 10:37] “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” The Bible is clear about this.
If you know these things, you can quickly understand that worship is not about receiving, but about giving. What kind of worship is good worship? People mistakenly focus on self-satisfaction. If it is beneficial to me, it is good worship; if it is not beneficial to me, it is bad worship. But don't forget that the essence of worship is sacrifice. It is for this reason that many people fail to worship. A worship service that is successful only when it is accompanied by sacrifice and devotion. But God tells us to give the best.
What does it mean to sacrifice Isaac, the birth of Abraham when he was 100 years old? It's about giving the best. There is a word God said when he gave it (son). [Genesis 22:12] “I know now that you fear God, because you did not withhold me, even your son, your only son.” Abraham's worship is acknowledged. This is the concept of the firstfruits, the firstborn, and the tithe. If you can give me an ox, I will give you an ox If you can afford only doves, give them doves. But he will not accept a dove from a person who is capable of offering a sheep. Give the best to the best.
purpose of worship
Many people confuse the purpose and outcome of worship. The purpose of worship is to serve, glorify, boast, and exalt God. Simply put, the purpose of worship is to honor God as God. “For this is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand” (7) When we realize this, true worship begins. That is what it means to glorify God. Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, the purpose of worship is to glorify God. If it is a worship that glorifies God, whether or not I get anything as a result of that worship, that means successful worship.
However, many people confuse this. If we receive so-called grace, we believe that worship is successful, and if we do not receive grace, we believe that worship is a failure. If there is a moving message and there is a gracious prayer and a harmonious praise, I think it is a successful worship service. Do you know how stupid this is? Rather, it would be a successful worship service if there was my sacrifice. It is a successful worship service if I give the best to God. Do not confuse the purpose and outcome of worship. The result of worship is the blessing that true worshipers receive. Blessings are entirely in the hands of God. If we receive it, it is a blessing, and even if it is not, we must be faithful to the purpose of worship.
When people help others with good things, endorphins are released and they feel satisfied. This is what happens when you succeed in worship right away. This is the result of worship. If you misunderstand the result and the purpose, worship will remain as a means to the result. That is what we call a belief in ups and downs. Nothing angers God more than this. Worship does not expect any results. However, you must be faithful to your purpose.
Dear saints,
Even if you are not a believer, the victory or defeat of the worship of the saints depends on whether you give the best. Worship that pays the highest respect is successful, but worship that doesn't all fails. Those who worship with joy, thanksgiving, and humility acknowledge God as supreme. Of course, we are supposed to give the best to the best. Do not confuse the result with the purpose, and I hope that you will be faithful to the purpose of worship that glorifies God and receive good results as well. Hallelujah!