(This post was submitted by Shannan Copland, Worship Administrative Assistant)

Worship is not a button we can switch on or off.  If it were, it would be one that is perpetually left on and can never, ever be turned off.  What do I mean by this?

Let’s start with the question, “What is worship?” Worship is “worth-ship.” It is ascribing worth to something—offering our attention and adoration to something and giving it value.  Everyone worships something and whatever that something is reveals what you value most.  So what is that something you worship?  Some may say they are not religious and therefore do not worship anything…impossible.

Stop for a moment and reflect. “Follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money, and your loyalty. At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne…On that throne is what you worship…and the trail never lies.” (Louie Giglio) 

You see, we don’t just walk in to church on the weekend and “turn our worship on.” It is not limited within the walls of the church. We were created to worship. It is built into our souls.  That is why it is so easy for us to find an object for our affection.

Colossians 1:16 says, “For by Him [Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”

On top of that, Scripture says that God’s creation proclaims His glory.  Revelation 4:8 tells us the angels praise God day and night, never ceasing saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty…” and Psalm 19:1 reminds us that the heavens tell of the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of His hands.  God’s creation screams how glorious, powerful, and limitless God is! 

The very first commandment God gives us in Exodus 20 states, “You shall have no other gods before me.”  If we truly reflect on the majesty of God, why would we want to worship anything else? There is no one like Him.

So here is my challenge: think about your worship.  Think about how much of your worship is truly spent wholly offering your attention and adoration to not just something, but Jesus Christ.  Who or what is on the throne of your life? Many times that something can be justified as a good thing.  But is that good thing receiving more of your adoration and value than Christ? Is it sports, a relationship, your job, a dream or aspiration you may have, or an object like money or a substance that has created an addiction? Maybe that something on the throne is yourself? 

Don’t just walk in to church on the weekend to “get your worship on.”  Worship does not start with us. It begins and ends with God and He is certainly not confined to a building. Worship the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Provider, the Healer, the everlasting God Who has no beginning or end—with every breath you take.  He alone is worthy not only because of Who He Is but because of what He has done for you.

So since your worship button is already turned on, think about what it is turned on for and direct your worship to Who deserves it most.

 

This blog is inspired by the study written by Louie Giglio, Wired For A Life Of Worship, Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2006.