"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not." Acts 7: 23-25
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord's voice: ' I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaacc and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear " Acts 7:30-32
"I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt." Acts 7:34
What is worship? Is it songs of praise, words of gratitude, deeds of service? As I am reading the book of Acts, it strikes me that worship is obedience. If we obey God's commands and seek His face for His will, true worship begins. As we surrender our will to Him, as Moses did, we will see His perfect plan for our lives. I have found that suffering brings surrender. The reality that I am limited but God is not becomes clear in the midst of suffering. Moses preempted God, he did not ask God before attempting to be his people's deliverer. What happened in those 40 years when he went to Midian? What happens in our "40 years of Midian"? When our lives take a detour and we endure a time of testing, God is refining our hearts. He is teaching us about worship. He is preparing our hearts for obedience. When we surrender our wills, we are able to obey. I am learning this. God led Moses out to be Israel's great deliverer-eventually. Not in Moses' time but in God's time. We need faith in God first. Worship then becomes an expression of that faith. The Prophet Samuel says,
But Samuel replied:
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22
What is true worship to you? Can we worship God is Spirit and in Truth without walkign in obedience? We want to hear from you. Please click on the comments link below to share your thoughts.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Talk Tuesday-Obedience and Worship
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6 comments:
What is worship? How is it connected to obedience? I feel like it is a complex question. I often struggle with the idea of a person being able to worship God in song or in prayer, while still living in disobedience. But then, I have seen and heard testimonies of people with whom God has worked to deliver them from various bondages, and it was not always a quick process, but He was working.
I believe worship is an expression of faith that God is, and that He wants relationship with us. That He is pleased when we place our focus on Him and on who He is, trusting that He will come near to us and change us as we draw near to Him.
While disobedience in our lives can cause us to cool in our desire to worship, I think it's also true that worship can move us towards a desire to greater obedience.I don't really understand how it works...
After coming into His presence through worship, whether through song, praise, prayer, or just living out our lives before Him, honouring Him in our ordinary living, and keeping our minds on Him, He can change us, prepare us, and use us for His glory.
He can speak to our hearts about things that need healing or purging in our thinking and in our choices.
We can see our troubling sitations with new eyes, even if just for a while, after intentionally communing with Him and worshipping Him. He can and often does give us a greater desire to obey Him ... melting away our resistance in stubborn areas. Hopefully, as we mature, we are able to offer worship that is more and more pleasing.
What are your thoughts on this?
Worship is complete intamacy with God. "In to me see Lord" It is where you enter into the Holy Of Holies, behind The Veil in His Presence. There, nothing matters but Him. It is so personal. You pour out all of you to Him. And He pours His Anointing upon and into you. For He is the Greatest Lover of your soul. Oh!!! Jesus Because we love Him, we worship Him. And complete worship is manifested through our obedience to the Word of God.
Isha
Isha, I am so moved by your definition of worship. It makes me feel to weep just reading it. Stacey, there is so much truth in the complexity of worship and it's impact on obedience. We are blessed by your insights.
I believe that true worship can be found in living out our daily walk with Christ. In Romans 12:1-2 it states "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
In taking a look at this scripture we first find the motivation to worship, which is the mercy of God. God’s mercy encompasses everything and it is something we truly don't deserve.
Then the scripture goes on to describe how we are to worship by presenting our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. The scripture does not specify a certain part of our body but everything our physical body, mind, emotions, and attitude. We are called to leave these things at the altar as a literal living sacrifice. This is where the obedience comes in, as we are asked to give up control of these things and give it to Him.
Giving up control can be difficult but in going back to the scripture God provides all the answers. We do this through the renewing of our mind and the only way to do that is through studying the Word of God.
Worship can include praying, reading God's Word with an open heart, singing, participating in communion, and serving others. It is not limited to one act, and the most important part is our heart and attitude
These reflections all encourage me to give God my best ... let's keep trying to give Him ALL of our minds, hearts, souls, understanding and strength... every day. Let's trust Him to change us as we try to do this ... because it is not easy ... and trust Him to work in us so He is glorified more and more.
Worship = love
Both words are action words. This means they have no meaning if you do. When you act by praise, prayer, discussions, helping others, respecting all, giving of yours self etc..... You are worshiping the Lord. The more you worship the more you get to know the Lord and the closer you get to him. The closer you get the more you know what he wants from you.
It is not by one act of worship that this can be attained. Worship is every second of every day.
Keep on worshiping
May the Lord bless you all
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