Worship, Lying, Gain and Sacrifice

I read a quote this morning I wanted to pass on to you. Ergun Caner, head of the dept. of Theology at Liberty University twittered a rough quote from Tozer: Christians do not tell lies, they go to church and sing them. I’m afraid that’s true more than it’s not. I’d read another statement that said that often Christians worship for what they will get in return more than for what they can give in worship. Living a life of worship is synonymous to living a life that cultivates influence – they require sacrifice. If we sacrifice for the purpose of gain, then where’s the real sacrifice? Sacrifice motivated by gain isn’t truly sacrifice, it’s self-serving. If God never spoke into our lives, if He never sent blessings, wisdom or guidance He’d still be worthy of our sacrificing ourselves on the altar as living sacrifices. Yes, we desire to come into His presence, to experience all that He has to offer us as we lift up praise and worship to Him, but if we aren’t willingly sacrificing ourselves for Him simply because He is worthy, we’re missing the point. We worship, not for what we get, but because of what we give – ourselves, every part of us, fully and completely to the King Who redeemed us. We worship because He is worthy, because of His greatness, because of what He has done, because of Who He is. So, let’s not be liars in church when we sing. Let’s give God every part of us now, simply because He is worthy. Leave getting anything in return up to Him.

When we come to worship, be wholly involved in all that goes on when we come to God. Embrace everything that He is and all that He offers, and don’t just go looking for what you think you need. Don’t just dip in your toe into the ocean of worship, dive in. Become an active participant, not just a spectator. Ask yourself the question: Is my worship self-centered or God-centered? If we worship for us, then God gets nothing out of it. If he gets nothing, what can you expect to get out of it besides a temporary emotional high? If you’re looking for worship that lasts, then give everything to it, hold nothing back, make it all about God. Remove yourself as the focus and train your focus fully on God. We get from God in proportion to what we give in our worship. David Jeremiah puts it this way: we can only “take away the sum equivalent of what we bring.” In other words, only offer up partial worship, expect to only receive partial blessing. We should seek to give it all, every part, to worship in both spirit and truth.

If you’re like me, giving every part can be a struggle. It’s easy to hold on to things in life and not want to let go. But, if we’re going to be able to truly worship in spirit and in truth, we must. We must release every part or be willing to ask God to take control of that area from us. Yes, it can mean pain. But pain is temporary. True worship is eternal. Won’t I feel like I’m not in control? Yes, and that’s what you want. We shouldn’t be in control of anything. God should be in control of everything. The challenge is to live your life so that even the small things fall under God’s control, not yours. Are we up for it?