I heard this phrase this week, "We are natural born worshippers." And, I had an ah-ha moment. That spoke to me so loudly. Those five words spoke such truth and inspiration to me. Every single person I know, worships something....everyone.
When we talk about worship, what comes to your mind? Do you picture people bowing down to King Harrod kind of worship? Do you think of hands raised on Sunday morning in worship to the One True King? Could it look more like your kid's sports achievements? Your favorite store to shop? Your bank account? Your favorite professional athlete or entertainer? Your spouse? Your friend? Worship can take many forms.
When we talk about worship, what comes to your mind? Do you picture people bowing down to King Harrod kind of worship? Do you think of hands raised on Sunday morning in worship to the One True King? Could it look more like your kid's sports achievements? Your favorite store to shop? Your bank account? Your favorite professional athlete or entertainer? Your spouse? Your friend? Worship can take many forms.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, this is the definition of worship:
1. the act of showing respect and love for a god especially by praying with other people who believe in the same god 2. excessive admiration for someone.
That first definition makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. The second definition makes me uncomfortable. One definition is holy, one is not. And our society is obsessed with the second definition. All of us fall into the trap of holding things and people in a higher admiration or importance than we should. We all worship something.
Christ said in Matthew 6:24 and again in Luke 16:13, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." I believe it's safe to assume that this is an important reminder that Christ wants us to hold steadfast to. You can replace money with whatever is highest on your personal list. The reminder is the same, nothing can come before God. This is one of those extreme ideas for me because I can rationalize why sometimes it's ok to have more excitement or importance about something else in my life when I'm in the moment. I could even use verses from the Bible to back it up, to twist truth with a little manipulative thinking. Jesus was a crazy extreme guy...he was a true fan of God....he was fanatical when it came to obeying and worshipping God alone and nothing else. And as Christians, you and I should be just as fanatical for God.
If I go to a football game, I'm decked out in my team colors. I get excited at the games. I cheer loudly....very loudly. And I'm usually totally plugged into what is happening on the field, especially when it's the team that my husband is coaching. When I'm at church on Sunday morning, I usually remember my Bible, I sit quietly and reverently in my seat, I calmly sing along for worship time, I pay attention to most of what the pastor says (man those outlines are great to keep my brain on task with what he says!) and then I head home to all the crazy stuff I have to rush around to accomplish that day and even into the week. I'm not a very good example of being a die-hard fan for God. There are times when I feel the urge to lift my hands in worship or publicly pray, but I don't because I don't want to look/sound foolish. But I don't have a problem cheering on my team like a crazy woman on Friday nights. Why is that? What does this scenario look like for you? What are you crazy for?
I want people to know I look different. I want to be known as that crazy Christian. And it's a little scary to be that...to be different. It's even scarier to me to hold anything higher than God and miss opportunities to be in His presence. Because in doing so, I'm providing satan the perfect opportunity to sneak in and steal my focus from God.
As we continue on into this Lent season, I pray that all of us will seek to be a true fan of God, to hold him higher than all else with a fervent type of enthusiasm that becomes contagious to those around us in our homes, work places, and communities. Let's strive to be the natural born worshippers that God created us to be, filling that desire with Him alone.
If I go to a football game, I'm decked out in my team colors. I get excited at the games. I cheer loudly....very loudly. And I'm usually totally plugged into what is happening on the field, especially when it's the team that my husband is coaching. When I'm at church on Sunday morning, I usually remember my Bible, I sit quietly and reverently in my seat, I calmly sing along for worship time, I pay attention to most of what the pastor says (man those outlines are great to keep my brain on task with what he says!) and then I head home to all the crazy stuff I have to rush around to accomplish that day and even into the week. I'm not a very good example of being a die-hard fan for God. There are times when I feel the urge to lift my hands in worship or publicly pray, but I don't because I don't want to look/sound foolish. But I don't have a problem cheering on my team like a crazy woman on Friday nights. Why is that? What does this scenario look like for you? What are you crazy for?
I want people to know I look different. I want to be known as that crazy Christian. And it's a little scary to be that...to be different. It's even scarier to me to hold anything higher than God and miss opportunities to be in His presence. Because in doing so, I'm providing satan the perfect opportunity to sneak in and steal my focus from God.
As we continue on into this Lent season, I pray that all of us will seek to be a true fan of God, to hold him higher than all else with a fervent type of enthusiasm that becomes contagious to those around us in our homes, work places, and communities. Let's strive to be the natural born worshippers that God created us to be, filling that desire with Him alone.
I agree. We either worship God or something in His place...money, sports, possessions. We have a whole that is like a God puzzle-piece. Only He can fill it and we desperately try to fill it with the wrong pieces.
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