(John 4: Genesis 22:5)

I graciously welcome you to October - the tenth month of the year. 2022 is gradually drawing to a close! All glory to our God. Our theme for the month is “Acts of Worship”. 

Yeah, I know, I know. Just hear me out first. I know that the one thing that comes to most of our minds when we hear WORSHIP is the slow songs the choir sings, just before we enter the fast-paced “praise” songs. But worship is more than a song. In his song “Heart of Worship”, Michael Smith wrote “….I bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You desire….I come with a heart of worship; it is all about You…” Worship is all about God. Worship is a thing of the heart that finds expression in our actions. And only God has the exclusive right to be worshipped, because whoever or whatever you worship is your god (Why do you think the devil wanted Jesus to fall down and worship him?). Worship is an act of allegiance, an act of submission. Worship acknowledges lordship and authority. It is being subservient and submissive to authority. When we worship, we are more than just singing, we are doing a whole lot more!

The first time we see the word worship mentioned in the Scripture is in Genesis 22:5.  “Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”” The offering of his son’s life is the Bible’s first instance of worship. Try to imagine the sequence of the events that led to that verse. Obedience and willingness to give the best to God, without holding back - that is worship. 

God still seeks true worshipers today. But how then do we worship Him? What are the acts of worship, especially if worship is not all about singing? The Word of God throws light into this in Romans 12:1:

“...I urge you brethren, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God - this is your spiritual act of worship” 

Worship is what we do in response to God’s mercies in our lives. Worship finds expression in many ways: we worship when we praise and thank God for who He is and what He means to us; we worship God in the beauty of His holiness, when we extol His virtues and sing of His marvellous deeds; we worship when we live our lives in ways that do not cause others to speak down about our God; we worship God when our lifestyles cause men to glorify our Father in heaven; we worship when we give ourselves to God wholly in His service and in every way; we worship with our substance; we worship with our time; we worship when we surrender all. Worship is an expression of our heart’s position. Worship is honouring God in your heart such that it shows in what you do and how you live your life. 

It is an outburst of our innermost feelings toward our God. Worship should not be restrained- (don’t hold back). “It should be you expressing yourself to your God in the best possible way”. Worship is sacrifice! It is joy, it is light!! Worship is costly, it’s not cheap and not easy. Worshipping is presenting the best to Him. We worship together, we worship alone. And the beauty is, we feel God’s response to our worship. When we worship genuinely in whichever way, we feel the winds of peace, we feel our hearts swell, we hear the still voice that tells us we are loved. Roman 12:1-2 mentions reasonable and acceptable worship, this means your worship can be unreasonable and unacceptable. May you offer unto God acceptable sacrifices in your worship. In the series, we shall examine acts of giving as worship. Join us!