The English word “worship” (from the old English “weorthscipe”) is derived from the word “worth” which means “value” and the native English suffix “-ship” which means “condition”. “Worship” asks the question, “What is the condition of value?” or, put simply, worship ascribes or declares value. Worship is the willful submission of our body (position) and our soul and spirit (attitude) to a loving God, bring Him worth and openly declaring His value!
When we worship God we declare His value, His worth to us. There is a direct relationship between the value we place on God, what God is worth to us, and our worship of God, for our worship is a reflection of His value to us. So, what is God worth to us? How do we discover the value of God? The answer to these questions we find in a verse of scripture written by the Apostle John as a riddle:
“We loved Him because He first loved us.”
Love is the ultimate expression of value; the more we love something the more “worth” or value the item has to us. So our love for God becomes a measurement of His worth to us. But here in this verse we see that our love for God is predicated on His love for us; “we love Him because He first loved us.” The question changes from God’s worth to us, to our worth to Him. This passage demonstrates a “Beholding and Becoming Principle”, whatever we Behold we Become. When the Holy Spirit quickens (reveals) an attribute of God to us, there is always an element of impartation which begins to form that same attribute in us. The word “love” in these passages is from the Greek word “agapao” which means to love passionately, willfully, sacrificially, with strong affection, to fulfill one’s joy in the object loved. So what are we worth to God that He passionately, willfully and joyfully loves us? “For God so loved the world... it is so hard for us to phantom this: We are worth the life of His Son! God the Father sent Jesus into the world to redeem us and restore us to fellowship with Himself, so that we might worship Him. Our worship is worth infinitely more to God than anything in the rest of creation for He gave what He valued more than all of creation for it. I can’t explain why the sincere worship from redeemed human hearts is worth so much to God. I can only tell you what it’s worth... The Precious Blood of Jesus!
So then, what is our Father worth to us? What value will we declare in our worship? How much love for God will we express in our worship to God? Will we offer God “agapao” or is God’s worth to us of a lesser value? Will we give our heart to God or to lover’s less passionate... less wild? Selah! (1 Jn. 4:19 NKJV, Jn. 3:16)
OPENLY DECLARING HIS VALUE
No comments:
Post a Comment