WORSHIP by Minister Aije Barnes

One of the definitions of worship in the dictionary is, "reverence honour and homage paid to God". This

definition of worship relates to God's word which says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore the act of fearing God in this manner is a form of worship.

Thus when we worship, we are saying God is worthy. 1Peter 2 v9. By so doing, you hold Him in high esteem and nothing nothing in your life comes before Him. You recognise Him as the Almighty God, which means there is nothing, and no one greater than Him in your life.

Every issue, circumstance, mountain, trouble, distress, illness, calamity, oppression or depression and even personal pleasures or distractions are under Him. He is above and before all! So to worship Him is to acknowledge Him as the Almighty in all things and in doing so, you begin to acquire wisdom. This wisdom enables you to honour Him reverently and recognise that what He says goes.  There is nothing too difficult for Him to do for you. His word will not return to Him void as it must accomplish that which He has sent it to do. Worship is also a dialogue between God and us. It also involves serving Him.

If you allow other things to take the place of God in your life; whether they are pleasures you enjoy or the worries of your life. They prevent you from bringing worship before the Almighty God who alone can give rest from your worries; abundant life and the peace of mind you seek. Don’t allow yourself to be robbed of enjoying the benefits of knowing God as your Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

This is where the dialogue comes into play as a form of worship. When you recognise God as y our Everlasting Father you can approach His throne of grace in prayer to obtain mercy and find grace - (which is the same as favour) to help in the time of need. This requires humility on your part. God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.  Dialogue with the Father also involves hearing from him or in other words, allowing him to speak to you. One way of doing this is by spending time to study the bible. Another is by going to church or spending time with other Christians in bible study. Our everlasting father not only loves to hear from you but also wants to speak with you. You can however only call God Father if you have given your life to Him. If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, I will encourage you to do so now because no one can come to the Father except by Him.

God reveals Himself to us when we worship Him. The other form of worship is serving God. You do this by obeying God's word. When you do this you are offering up your life as a living sacrifice to Him. Rom 12 v 1 shows that offering our bodies to God as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God is an act of worship.

You can serve God by the way you relate to other people whether fellow Christians or non Christians as an act of worship to God.

The bible says- But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. (Hebrews 13:16 NKJV) Luke 10 v 25-28 says Love the Lord with all your heart, might and strength. This is also an Act of worship.

Encouraging other Christians in the Lord is also an act of worship . Our worship should include and affect every area of our lives. God wants us to worship Him with all of our hearts not just our lips. He wants us to be recognised as his children everywhere and in everything in our worship.

Worship must be done in love otherwise it will not glorify God. The bible says "But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:14, 15 NKJV)

When you do this, you will begin to recognise God as the Prince of Peace in your life as He will grant you the peace that passes all understanding.

There are 3 tests to check whether you are worshiping God: Does it glorify God? Does it encourage others? Are you doing it in love? Let us worship God in spirit an in truth John 4 v 20 - 24 (part) - this is the Act of true Worship!

God created us to worship Him. Worship is not only an act, it is a lifestyle. Let it be yours as the Lord commands.