DAILY DEVOTION No. 7

Is there a passion within you to worship God Almighty, your Creator? There should be, because one of the main reasons you exist is to worship God. You and I have been created for God’s pleasure. It says in Revelation 4:11 (KJV) "He created all things and for His pleasure they were created." We are created to praise and worship Him as an integral part of our fellowship with Him. It is a mutual thing where we enjoy God and He enjoys us. The Westminster Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?" And answers, “Man's chief end is to glorify (honour, make known, praise) God and to enjoy him forever.” So we see that God has designed worship not only so that He will receive the glory due to Him, but that man would be fulfilled. Worship is to be to God and for man.

God is to be the focus of our praise and as we worship Him, we find that He brings joy, blessing, fulfilment and purpose. Why does God pour out His blessing on us in this way? Because that is His nature – to give. The One who gave the best gift of all is also ready to give all of Himself when we come to Him in true worship. God welcomes those into His presence who want Him. God calls us to praise and honour Him – Ps 150:6 “Let everything that has breath”  - Is. 43:21 “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise – 1 Peter 2:9 “…. ”That you might declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.”

Jesus in Matthew 22:37-38 says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”  We cannot do this by just attending church once a week or only thinking about God when we come on Sunday. Our worship must not be something we do once a week, but it must become a lifestyle. It is fellowshipping with him each day and developing a constant sense of His nearness. The Holy Spirit has a way of drawing us back to our “first love” – to a renewed hunger and thirst for the living God.

Tozer says that “we should believe that God had a noble purpose in mind when he created us. It was distinctly His will that men and women created in His image would desire fellowship with Him above all else. In His plan, it was to be a perfect fellowship based on adoring worship of the Creator and Sustainer of all things.” Hayford says that “we were created by Him and for Him, and everything our hearts will long for comes as a direct result of approaching Him and getting to know Him.” 

In Psalm 149:2-4 we read “Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp. For the LORD takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation.” What do you think the Psalmist is saying in these verses? - That we are to enjoy praising God with outward expression and with instruments and delight in Him as He delights in us. Our Father and King wants more from us than obedience and service. He wants to speak with us and have fellowship with us. That is why times of worship are so important.

God wants: 1. worship that is personal and filled with praise; 2. us to tell Him that we love Him; 3. worship that honors Him as King. The object of our worship will make Himself known to us as we come into His presence with singing and praise. The object of our worship is the true God!

Prayer

Father, we know that Your desire is to have intimate fellowship and communion with us. Help us to make You our primary focus. When other things are buying for our time and attention, help us to put those things aside so that we might come into Your presence and allow You to pour out Your love upon us and for us to give all of ourselves to You in return.

Rod Best