WHY, HOW, REWARDS and BENEFITS
WHY do we WORSHIP GOD?
- We worship God because He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the One who created all things and holds all things together. God sovereignly rules over all creation with righteous justice and mercy. When we worship Him we acknowledge His sovereignty over our lives.
Think about this: God created this entire universe. He designed a planet uniquely with an atmosphere that could sustain life, where He placed humans, and gave them everything they would ever need to live on it. God has given mankind responsibility and rulership over all other created things.
"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory in the heavens. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which You have set in place, I ask: What is mankind that You are mindful of them, and human beings that You care for them? You have made their place a little lower than God. You have made them rulers over everything that Your hands made. You have put everything under their feet."
"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory in the heavens. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which You have set in place, I ask: What is mankind that You are mindful of them, and human beings that You care for them? You have made their place a little lower than God. You have made them rulers over everything that Your hands made. You have put everything under their feet."
Psalm 8:1, 3-6
- We worship God because He is our Creator, Savior, and King. He made us in His image and gave us life. He loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die as the only perfect and complete sacrifice for our sins and to rise again to give us eternal life. God is worthy of our worship because of His incredible compassion, power, majesty, and glory.
- We worship God because He is holy, righteous, and good. God is perfect in all His ways and does not change. God is faithful, merciful, and gracious to us. God reveals Himself to us through His Word and His Spirit. When we worship God, we honor His name and character by seeking to become more like Jesus Christ.
- We worship God because He cares for us and knows us more intimately than any other relationship. God listens to our prayers and answers them according to His will. He guides, protects, comforts, heals, restores, and provides for us. When we worship God, we express our gratitude, love, and devotion to Him, and enjoy His presence and fellowship.
HOW can we WORSHIP GOD?
- The Word of God: We worship God by reading, studying, praying through, meditating on, and obeying His Word. The Bible reveals God's character, works, promises, and invitations to us.
- We worship God by communicating with Him through prayer: Prayer is a dialogue between God and us, where we praise Him, thank Him, confess our sins to Him, ask for His help and guidance, intercede for others, and listen to His voice. Prayer expresses our trust in God and desire for His will to be done in our lives.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, he told them to start like this: "Our Father in heaven, let Your name be honored as Holy." It's fine to ask God for things, but a real relationship includes both give and take. What do we have to give to God? Our honor, respect, reverence, gratitude, and WORSHIP.
- Music: We worship God by singing songs of worship and praise to Him. Music is a powerful tool that can stir our emotions, lift our spirits, and express our thoughts and feelings to God. Music can also help us to declare His greatness and sovereignty over all things.
- Giving: We worship God by giving back to Him a portion of what God has given us. Giving is an act of gratitude, generosity, and obedience. Giving reflects our trust in God's provision, and can include giving our money, time, talents, gifts, or anything else that He has entrusted to us.
- Serving: We worship God by serving others with love and humility. Serving is an act of sacrifice, compassion, ministry, and mission. Serving demonstrates our desire to follow Christ's example.
What are some of the promised REWARDS and BENEFITS of worshipping God?
- Worship helps and encourages us to focus on God, which immediately brings us closer, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, to God.
- Worship increases our understanding of God.
- Worship helps us deepen our trust and build confidence in God.
- Worship satisfies our souls and grows our faith in God.
- Worship gives us a strong moral foundation and a sense of purpose in life.
- Worship brings us a sense of the enduring qualities of life, and hope for a certain future.
- Worship brings a sense of health and well-being in illness and danger.
- Worship affirms our participation in something much larger than ourselves.
- Worship is a lifestyle of honoring, adoring, and glorifying God with our whole being.
- Worship is the highest and best thing from ourselves that we can offer to God.
- Worship affirms that God alone is WORTHY of all of us and everything we can give.
