I was writing a bible study for Law Small Group at uni today, and without thinking I typed one of the questions, asking how the passage we were discussing would affect our worship. As soon as I wrote this I stopped to think – I knew what I meant by worship, but would the group members share my understanding of worship. What is worship? How do you define it?
As I considered this what sprung into memory was a phrase that I’ve mostly memorised, the definition of worship by Louie Gigilio (the founder of Passion Conferences, a preacher I’ve found very insightful and challenging) in his series Worship: That Thing We Do: “Worship is: Our response both personal and corporate to God – for who He is! and for what He has done! expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live.”
I think this is both a helpful and accurate definition, but it begs the questions, how well do we worship? Our normal day to day lives are a response to God, they are worship – or they should be. He is God, our Creator, our Heavenly Father, YAHWEH, I AM, the one who was and is and forevermore shall be, a personal, relational and loving God. He has sent his only Son to die for our sin and shame on the cross, in order that we may have eternal life – John 3:16.
What sort of reponse does this deserve? I hope that one day. everything I say and the way I live my life, 24/7 will be an appropriate response. When I think of the things I say without thinking, the slefish desires I fufill, the sins I commit, I’m positive I’m not there yet, but I am working on it. I’m also convinced that worship is more than singing, and it doesn’t only happen on Sunday.