Worship

   Worship. 
What is it?
Does is it involve us?
Does it require something?
What does it relate to? What's it mean?
     I'll let ya chew on those questions for a little bit while I go on now and say a few words. I recently... well, actually just one minute ago looked up the word worship in the dictionary. The Microsoft Word dictionary actually. That's the dictionary I usually turn to because it's easily accessible and it works... plus I like Microsoft Word. :) Just thought I'd throw that out there. Well anyway, it gave me meanings for two different types of the word as in a verb and noun. Three meanings for each. As a noun, the first two given meanings were what I expected somewhat, but not what I was looking for (and no I'm not trying to give words different meanings). But then I scrolled down a little bit more and found what I was looking for. The third meaning. :-O  This is what the third meaning said.
3. great devotion
    great or excessive love, admiration, and respect felt for somebody or something
I literally was like "hah!" I found you (as if the meaning of a word was a living, breathing.. who knows what). But either way, this is how I've recently come to understand as worship. I like it how it doesn't say anything about singing or music. I think unfortunately we characterize worship as only limited to singing and/or a special time devoted to worshiping God through whatever means may be accepted. But nope, it simply says "great devotion." So in specific, it's could be a pretty broad meaning. Worship then isn't necessarily limited to singing, or a ritual, or even, God. Nope. In a realistic sense, you can worship most anything. Now to some, this is probably not new to hear or know, but I just to some, I just wanted to kind of explain because there was a point in my life personally where I honestly thought that all worship was, was singing in church on a Sunday, or a worship team leading music. So, in my walk with the Lord and growing in the knowledge of Him, I thought I would write a post that helps explain something I was once not totally knowledgeable (and I'm still growing) in, but also in a challenging way because I find all too often, especially in my own life where worship (for God) is put on the back burner.
Anything...
   Yes, you can worship anything. And yes, whether you realize it or not, you worship many different things in your life. What do you enjoy doing? What do you spend most of your time doing? What do you not really care about too much? If you were to take a time log or everything you did during the day, what would you find yourself doing the most? Would there be a common motive behind all of those things? Who is your time and effort focused around? Yourself? Others? Jesus possibly? How much time is spent on the computer? How much effort is put into daily devotions? I know so often I find myself putting daily devotions in the back of my mind or on the bottom of my priority list. I know in my head that it's so important though. Probably one of the most important things I can do in the day. But, do I really know?? I think if we really KNEW, then we would certainly DO. Faith without actions is dead, as James says.
     Now, as a verb, one of the meanings (again, the third meaning) is:
3. love somebody deeply
to love, admire, or respect somebody or something greatly and perhaps excessively or unquestioningly

   Here's where I really had to do a self evaluation check. I read the last part of that meaning a few times, and asked myself, "Do I love God greatly and perhaps excessively or unquestioningly?" Who do I truly worship? If we love someone or something excessively, we are going to spend so much time with it. Quality time. We are going to engulf and surround ourselves with it. If we unquestioningly love, admire, and respect something or someone, it will consume our life! No question about it. Obviously. Do I love God deeply? Well you may say sure, of course. Okay, take it to the next step. Do I love God greatly? Well, yeah sure of course, you may say. I mean I go to church every Sunday morning, and night sometimes. Maybe on a Wednesday if I don't have homework. So yeah, I'd say so. Okay... next step. Do I love Jesus, the God of the universe, who is the I AM, excessively?! Or even unquestioningly? Well... sure. I must. I'm a Christian, and Christians do that, right?
   The answer is yes. Christians SHOULD do that and should BE that! But we fall so short. I personally will be the first to admit that I fall so short of that. I mean really. If you were to stand before Christ in the very next moment, and He asked for a time log of everything you did in the last 24 hours. What were you doing? Were you unquestioningly living as a Christian, loving God? Worshiping God?! I would be dreadfully ashamed of what my time log would read. I don't know if I could stand before Christ and say that He was my All in All. My EVERYTHING. I could say, "Lord, I love you and I tried... but God I loved so many other things in this world, and You unfortunately weren't exactly my most popular thing." That's all I could honestly say.
Do we really worship GOD, or do we worship everything else that draws our attention? I mean, if worship is really loving something deeply, and it's unquestionable, then what would others say that you worship? What are your passions?
     Now thank the Lord that He does give us the ability to truly worship Him above anything else!

"Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." -1 John 4:4


" For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” -Matthew 17:20


"For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -Phil. 4:13


     It's not an impossible feat. We are truly capable or true worship. But we are only capable through Christ Jesus and Him alone. On our own, we're definitely still capable of worship, but only worship of petty things this world has to offer that will fade away. 
 "Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." -Matthew 6:20, 21
   
     So there is what has been on my heart all day, and I thought i would share. It's really burdened me how many stupid things I find myself worshiping, regretfully, and how little I worship the One above all else who deserves it the most. 
   Thanks for reading. God bless


~Ben
  
                      (Let me know if there are any typos or anything so I can change them. I'm not going back and reading this whole thing to check it) :)