blog| About Yvonne | |
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| Walking in Committed Worship | |
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My favorite scripture about worship (of course, I say that about all of them), is John 4:23-23," A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him is spirit and in truth." I warn you- I am a word person. I love to pick apart words to find their whole meaning. Be ready for lots of definitions. The word 'worship' in the above scripture means: to kiss the Master's hand, to fawn or crouch, to prostrate oneself in homage, (homage meaning respector honor shown by action, a payment indicatiing allegiance, allegiance meaning fidelity or faithfulness to duties, obligations, vows, truth). Other scriptures with this same meaning of worship are Psalm 29:2, Psalm 95:6, Psalm 99:5, and Matt. 4:10. It's pretty obvious that as Christians we are called to worship. But this isn't just about singing. It's actually more about our attitude or our position or posture. Ephesians 4:1 tells us to walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called. That's where this idea of walking in worship came from. I thought the word walk basically meant putting one foot in front of the other in order to get somewhere. What I learned was rather surprising. The word walk in the above scripture means to tread all around with respect to, walk at large especially as proof of ability- (I like to think of it as not our ability but our ability in Him). In 1 Thess. 4:1, Paul urged the people to walk as to please and gratify God. Psalm 86:11 says, "Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth". Here the word walk means to carry or bear, behave, pursue. Walking in worship has a lot to do with how we carry ourselves and with our behavior. We can assume that walking this way is easy when times are good. But what about when trials come? Our relationship with Christ is often compared to a marriage relationship. What's the glue that holds a marriage together? Commitment. And it is a choice. The word commit firstly means TO DO. To coin a phrase, just do it! No matter what. Commit also means to entrust to the care of another, give up or turn over, to set apart or devote as for a specific use. Jesus said in Luke 23:46, " Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." Psalm 37:5 says, "Commit your way to the Lord... In Proverbs 16:3 the word commit is used to mean to roll over on, "Roll your works on the Lord so shall your plans be established." I encourage you that in hard times to search the scriptures for those verses that speak commitment to you. Again, I'm not talking about walking aroung singing or holding your hands up all the time. But don't be surprised. When you are walking in committed worship, outward expressions tend to naturally happen. I feel it is safe to assume that walking in worship is also walking in the Spirit. The results of which are found in Galatians 5:22-23. Love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Walking in worship changes how you act- and react! I like to call it "Holy Spirit Behavior Modification"! So, now you know what walking in worship is. Now how to do it. First, just be constantly aware of God and what He has done for you. Make a list and put it where you can see it. When you are outside, look around and see all He has made. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." The word glorify here means to give as a gift. What a great idea! Giving yourself as a gift to God every day. Commit all you are to Him each day. Naturally, be in His Word. I like to take what I call P&W breaks during the day. (P&W meaning praise and worship). Finally talk to Him often. Tell Him about your day, what you are going through and how you feel. Remember, commitment is a choice. Choose to walk according to your calling- walk in worship. |
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