This morning I was reminded of the why for worship. As I read in Luke, the account of Jesus’ temptation by the devil in the wilderness, I see again Jesus telling me to worship for the right reasons.

“⁶and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ ⁸And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,

You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’” — Luke 4:6-8 (ESV)

I see here that Jesus is stating for us to remember the why of worship and not just the who we worship. I am to worship the Lord and serve Him, not the other way around, He does not serve me. Yes, Jesus does provide for me, and makes sure that I am cared for and loved and blessed beyond belief, but I serve Him and He gives to me. I am here to serve Him in all that I do and am to instill that lesson of service for all to take part in. I am here for Jesus, and He was here long before I for me.

How then does all of this fit with my beliefs related to the inverted pyramid of leadership if I am to serve the one above me? And that is a great questions that I have asked myself and here is my best response. I am here to serve those in my charge, my boys, my wife, my friends, and all those around me. In doing so, I am serving the purpose that God has for me in life. As I am serving the purpose for my life as given to me by God, then I am in effect serving Him and in service to Him I worship all that He is, provides, and will be for me. I have been given work to do and that work is the driving force for service to Him. Just as in the inverted pyramid, we all work for someone in a hierarchical system, but our customers are those that we impact. Our service for them is in service of our leadership. Jesus is our leadership and I serve him through the service I have for others.

I serve God in the interest of worship to Him. I don’t worship to get something, but more to give something. “Him only shall you serve” is the motto to live by and that is where we find our desire to worship, in the interest of service to our leadership, God.

Who is it that you serve and why? Are you serving to get something in return? What if we simply served as a demonstration of our worship?

This morning I continue to study the word “worship” and am led to Matthew 2 and the story of the wise men’s visit to Jesus after His birth. As I study the passage I am reminded of the danger that was there at the time surrounding His birth. He was born as King and that was of a threat to the king of the time, Herod. The wise men were innocently searching for Jesus at the beginning of the story so that they would be able to worship Him in person.

“¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” — Matthew 2:1-2 (ESV)

These wise men were out searching for the “king of the Jews”, for no other reason than to worship Him. I have to ask myself, why is it that I am searching for God daily. I wonder if I am just looking for Him to rescue me and protect me, or am I searching for Him in the quest to simply drop to my knees and worship Him. These men came from afar, searching for Jesus simply to worship and bring Him gifts.

This is the lovely thing about our approach to God. We are not expected to bring Him anything. We are not expected to provide for Him. We are only expected to love Him and worship Him. We are to be there and accept His provision and do His work to bring the gospel to as many as we can and ensure that everyone has had the opportunity to worship Him. These men were in desire of worshiping Jesus and nothing more. And they were more than willing to search high and low for Him and then, at the time, were willing to inform others as to where He could/would be found so that they could worship as well.

“⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’ ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” — Mathew 2:8-11 (ESV)

These men were asked by Herod to find Jesus and report back as to His whereabouts to allow the opportunity for Herod to come and worship Him as well. They were more than willing to do so thanks to the additional support and help that was provided by Herod for them to find Jesus. So they went, found Him, rejoiced and worshiped Him for the King He was and left their gifts for Him with no expectation of anything in return.

How often do we come to God and seek nothing in return? These men did just that as they came to worship Him. I have to remember fully that Jesus wants nothing than my love, devotion, and worship. He does not need anything from me other than those and with those He will provide all that I need in this world.

Now the men were keen in their worship. They devoted themselves to the King they came to see and in doing so they were made aware of the plot to kill Jesus through their dreams. Since they were so devoted to the King they came to worship they heeded the dreams and did not return to Herod and disclose the location of Jesus to him. They simply went on their way in the interest of guarding Him against the evil that meant Him harm.

“¹²And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” — Matthew 2:12 (ESV)

This seem so counter to the greatness of our God. These men guarded and protected Jesus when we know from the Old Testament and our own lives the greatness and power of God. I believe that we do have the obligation to protect against destruction where we can. We have to power to stop it, but what we can do is protect against it where we can. It is our duty to turn away evil in the name of Jesus and these men did just that. They could not stop the evil that was Herod, but they took the opportunity not to contribute to that evil by simply walking away and going the other direction.

Our duty is to search Him our, worship Him with glory, and protect against the evil that will come to destroy. We are powerless to stop the evil but we can work not to contribute to that evil.

What does your view of searching, worshiping, and guarding look like? Are you out there doing just that? What if we simply sought out God, worshiped Him, and then did our due diligence to guard against the evil of the world in His presence to allow for more to come to Him?

I am sure that a good number of folks have read or heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and their tangle with Nebuchadnezzar and the fiery furnace. And where it is a great story and demonstration of the power of God and His protection of His followers, the bible verses below I believe to be overlooked, at least I know I tend to.

“²⁸Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. ²⁹Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.’” — Daniel 3:28-29 (ESV)

King Nebuchadnezzar recognized the power of God and that power was demonstrated to and for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refused to worship any other god than their God, my God. These men devoted themselves to God and in return, He protected them from the fiery furnace and made it possible for the king to see and recognize their worship.

Now, the actions taken by the king related to the tearing “limb from limb” is a bit harsh as related to the worship of other gods than our Lord, but the recognition of His power and the idea that we should be worshiping Him is the takeaway here. The three men worshiped God and only God and it was seen and recognized by the king which caused him to side with the men and recognize and demonstrate the more that comes from God (as noted as the story progresses).

For me, I am reminded that it is my task to simply worship God and allow others to see me. I have to be willing to stand for Him and demonstrate my reliance on Him and fully and publicly devote myself to His worship. When others see, they will recognize and where first they may be in wonder, they will also want to know more.

When you worship, what is the environment you worship? Are you allowing others to see as you worship publicly? What if you did and allowed others to see and wander and want more?

“⁹Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! ²Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.” — Psalm 96:9 & 2 (ESV)

Yes, I know that I have quoted the verses above out of “order”. When reading this morning, this is how it made sense to me. Verse 9 above tells me to worship God for all that He is and then verse 2 tells me to do so every day. To me this is the approach we should have.

I have written about being intentional, in awe, and simple in our worship. Now I want to add in the act of doing so daily. Worship of the LORD is not reserved for Sunday mornings in that location that has been designated the church. I can and should be worshiping everywhere and at all times. God is not present only on Sunday morning in that location that has been designated the church. He is with us all the time and everywhere we are.

Yes, worship is something that we should be doing corporately, on Sunday mornings in the location that has been designated the church. That goes without question as it is good to be in the company and fellowship of our fellow Christians. I also have to remember that since God is with us always, I have to worship Him always in the same manner I pray to Him. If I am going to ask Him for help, I should also thank Him for the work and wonders He has done. And I should be doing so daily in any and all situations and environments.

When is it that you worship the LORD? Are you reserving your worship for Sunday morning in the location designated as being the church? What if you took to worshiping Him daily regardless of the situation and environment?

I had the pleasure of growing up in the country and my family cared for livestock and worked the land. Where I was not intimately involved in the day to day operations, I was able to witness the care that was given to the animals and land cultivated by my family.

“⁶Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! ⁷For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” — Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV)

Notice there in verse 7 above that we are those that are in His care. In my observation of family caring for livestock and land it was amazing to see the responses that came as a result of that care. The livestock would come when called and wait patiently to be fed of brushed or patted and the land, well the bounty that was received each season was always enough to satisfy the needs of the family.

I know, how is my memory fitting in with my study this morning. Well, the care that was/is given is returned to the caregiver. The livestock and land bountifully provided for the needs of the caregiver. Even when there may not have been thoughts of how the care could be repaid, there was still the giving in worship of the one that cared. I see myself as the livestock, in a sense, of God, my caregiver. I wait patiently to be fed and patted. I do His work and produce bountifully for Him and His glory, even when I am not sure what I am giving to Him in return for His care as He needs for nothing.

I have a duty to not only do the work for God as He cares for me, but as I am human and understand and have the ability to make decisions and have independent thought, I also have a duty to worship God as my caregiver. I not only wait, but I act. I not only produce, but I ask how I can do more. I not only accept His love, but I return it with my love and devotion to Him. I am to be in intentional worship and that worship is due for my caregiver and as noted in verse 6, my “Maker!”

When you look at God, how do you categorize Him in your life? Do you see Him as simply your God? What if you provided worship to God as your “Maker” and caregiver?

I have found that when worshiping in a corporate environment (in church), there seems to be a push for those leading to complicate and over indulge in pressing toward holiness. I have witnessed the worship leader trying to preach from the stage as opposed to simply leading the worship instance and leaving the preaching and teaching to the pastor or speaker for that day or instance.

“¹Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ²Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.” — Psalm 29:1-2 (ESV)

As I read and study this morning, verse 2 stands out in relation to worship. Notice the idea of worship is “in the splendor of holiness” and not to bring about holiness. I see that I am to be simple with my worship and take the time to glorify God and not look to impress others. I am to bring attention to His “glory and strength” only, not bring attention to me.

I have studied these verses before in that time I wrote in my bible, “I make God too difficult to understand. God equals, glory, love, and truth.” That is so true. Worship does not have to be a difficult and time consuming deeply thought out event. It should happen in the moment and be devoted to bringing glory to Him and not me. It should be spontaneous and from the heart and less planned and from the head. Yes, there should be some planning from the corporate sense to align with the speaker or preachers message so as to prepare the heart. But the planning is in the what and less on the how everything is supposed to play out.

I am a planner and calculated in my approach to just about everything. I have a saying, “focus on getting it right and not just getting it done.” And that is predicated on calculated, planning and preparation to accomplish things. And where one should prepare for worship, the act of worship should be unplanned and devoted only to the glorification of God and bringing attention to His “glory and strength”.

What is your approach to worship? Are you calculated and interested in getting everything just right so that those around you will be marveled at your “holiness”? What if we just planned to worship and then just let the worship simply happen to bring attention to God’s “glory and strength”?

The worship of God is not just for me. I am, of course, to be worshiping God at every turn and bringing glory to Him. And that I am pretty sure there is little to any dispute. I also have to remember that I am to make sure that everyone around me has the opportunity to worship Him as well. I am to be in the world doing His work and bring the gospel to those around me. I am to visible for others to see and be ready to lead them to God so that they will have the opportunity to find Him and accept the gift of salvation that He has for them. I am to be the conduit for them to see and want to worship God.

“²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you..” — Psalm 22:27 (ESV)

Notice who “shall worship”. It is “all the families of the nations” and “all the ends of the earth”, not just me and my immediate family. Everyone is extended the opportunity to worship God and praise Him.

The question that should be asked is, if everyone is extended the opportunity to worship God and praise Him, how are they going to hear? How is it that the invitation is extended to everyone? Well the answer is that someone has to take the invitation to them, and that someone is me. I have to take and place the invitation at their feet, delivery to their hand, drop it in their minds. It is up to me to ensure that they have received the invitation. I cannot force them to take it, but that is not my purpose. I am to ensure that they have access to it so that they are able to accept. I cannot expect that someone else will do the work, God has tasked me with the work and therefore I have to do that work, and extend the invitation.

I am only responsible for that which God places before me. I am to extend invitations where He has asked me to and focus there. Even in our church, our vision is as follows: “We want to see A gospel movement that reaches every person of the Hill Country and is carried to the ends of the earth.” and out Mission is: “To make disciples of Jesus that celebrate the gospel in worship, apply the gospel in community, and extend the gospel in mission.” Notice that neither of them start globally and work toward the near. I am to work from close to me and extend outward. In some, and frankly most, instances, my invitations will be locally and in my own community, and that is all God is asking of me. Extend worship of God to all that are in my circle and once that has been done, I am to continuing extending to all.

When you think about your outreach and worship, what are you trying to accomplish? Are you simply trying it on for yourself? What if we took the approach God set out for us and extended the invitation of worship to all we come in contact with?

I have written about intentional worship and here is a good place to expand on that into all and awe.

“²⁸Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! ²⁹Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; ³⁰tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.” — 1 Chronicles 16:28-30 (ESV)

In the above verses the instruction is to “ascribe to the LORD”.

Ascribe: to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author: to say or think that (something) is caused by, comes from, or is associated with a particular person or thing – Merriam-Webster Online

I am not of any glory or strength. That belongs to and is of God. He provides those to me when the time comes and when needed, but they are His and it is up to me to know and understand. I may have some thing, but they have been provided by God for my pleasure and when coming to Him I must bring all of that with me to demonstrate my reliance on Him for those things as I simply return them to Him in thanks for the allowances He has provided.

Not only am I to “ascribe to the LORD” but I am also supposed to come to Him in awe.

Awe: an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime – Merriam-Webster Online

I see in the second part of verse 29 and into verse 30 above that awe in my approach to God. I am to “tremble before him”. As an example of what and how this should look like, I am reminded of the pictures and videos of (bear with me) the girls that would have full body shakes and/or faint at the site of or when they got close to or touched Elvis Presley. It was not that they were “afraid” for their lives, it was that they were fully immersed in what they felt as the greatness of the man. Why are we not coming to God in the same manner and shaking and/or fainting as we get close to Him?

I am reminded this morning that I have to intentional in my worship and in doing so I have to bring all to Him and my worship should be as I am in awe of Him. I know that it may not be “socially acceptable” in the world to do so, but I have to remember that I am here to worship and bring glory to God and make sure that His glory is brought to the people. I cannot worry with what the world ascribes to, only that I “ascribe to the LORD”.

When worshiping the LORD, are you ascribing to Him? Are you bringing all that He has given to you and laying back at His feet in thanks? What if we were to do so and then get the full body shakes as we worship in awe of God?

When you worship, are you doing so intentionally or just in the moment? I know that one of our tasks is to worship God at all times and to bring glory to Him, but what about the intentional pursuit of our worship?

“⁵Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’” — Genesis 22:5 (ESV)

I know, this verse is not really directed at the idea of worship and more around the act of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. I see it a bit differently this morning as I study the word “worship”. I see the intent of Abraham to worship God. Even in the circumstances that are here in this passage, Abraham is still headed to the mountain with all that is needed to worship. He brings everything with him, wood, fire, knife, and even Isaac to serve as the offering. He travels for 3 days to get to the mountain and then treks out to build an altar and worship.

I look at my intentional worship and have to think how it compares to that of Abraham, and I must say, there is little comparison other than I go away from my home on Sunday mornings. I leave the house and travel by car about 5 miles to the church, where I attend the service and worship God for the hour or so and then travel the 5 miles back home. The travel time takes about 15 minutes and the worship about 60 minutes for a total of about 1.25 hours on Sunday mornings. And then I step it up a couple of other times in the year on Easter Sunday and Christmas to get in a couple more intentional worships. But where is the sacrifice? Where is the investment in God? Where is the devotion to Him?

I have to be better at my intentional worship. I have to take more time to devote to God in bringing glory to Him. And maybe, just maybe I do worship more than just intentionally, only I am not recognizing it nor taking the opportunity to perform more of it from an intentional perspective. I am tasked with bringing glory to God, I should be more active and proactive with my worship and glorification. I have to be more willing and deliberate with my intentional worship.

When you worship, are you doing so intentionally? Are you bringing glory to God on purpose actively and proactively? What if you were to intentionally worship God daily as opposed to spontaneously?

As I read this morning and work through the final passage identified in my concordance on the word “worthy” I am reminded that only one is worthy and that is Christ.

I believe I have mentioned in my writings before that we are Marvel fans. I am taken to the character of Thor and his worthiness to wield Mjölnir the hammer. According to the movies, Mjölnir was only able to held and wielded by one that was worthy and even Thor himself was not immediately worthy based on his godly status. He had to prove his worthiness and once he did, he was able to wield the hammer Mjölnir. Later we find that Captain America was worthy and now in the newest Thor film, even Jane, the previous girlfriend of Thor is found to be worthy. Where this is a great story of the virtuous worthiness that can be found in others, it is not the depiction I am looking at here nor with all that is Christ.

“³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, ⁴and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’” — Revelation 5:3-5 (ESV)

Here we find that there is one that is worthy and that one is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” or Jesus. He alone is the one that was slain for our sins and gave himself for the whole of us that we may not suffer defeat at the hands of the evil one. He is the one and only recognized savior and as such has the strength and worthiness to accomplish the task that no other can.

“¹¹Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’” — Revelation 5:11-12 (ESV)

As I look out into this world I have to remember that Christ is the only one worthy. Only in the movies and the secular world are others considered worthy of great things. I know that I am human and a sinner and will never meet the standard of Christ. I have to continue working at it and give the appearance of being worthy at each turn, knowing that it is only an appearance and that truly there is only one, Jesus, who is worthy.

When you are in the world, what is your view of yourself or others as pertains to worthiness? Are you of the opinion that anyone can reach that pinnacle as we see in the movies? What if you approached worthiness, knowing that you will never reach it, although you will continue to work for it, and that Jesus is the only one who is worthy?