Not Without III

Ps.46:¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

There is no true worship without surrender and the major thing that keeps us from surrendering is worry. Can God really take care of me if I surrender to Him? If I surrender my life to God, can He really put food on the table? Can He pay my children’s school fees? Can He pay my rent? If I follow Jesus can He guarantee my eternity? When you worry, you cannot worship. When you worship, you find out that you cannot worry. It is not possible to worship and worry simultaneously. You have to choose one. Stop worrying and let God be God, be vulnerable and surrender to God.

For there to be true worship, there has to be Sacrifice, Vulnerability, Surrender and there has to be Relationship. John 4:²² “You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.” In other words, Jesus was saying do you even know the Person you say you are worshipping. John 4:^23-24 “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (emphasis added). In Spirit means aligned with God in obedience. In Truth means in the knowledge of God; revelation through the Word of God. There cannot be worship if there is no relationship. You need to have a relationship with God.

The whole idea of worship is the enjoyment of the Father. I am sure parents can relate to this; it is for the enjoyment of the parent and obviously of the child. It is for fellowship. It is not just in Spirit for the sake of being legalistic. it is not truth for knowledge sake and for quoting scriptures. It is good to know scripture, but everything must come together in the enjoyment of God. Jonathan Edwards says, “God is glorified most, not just by being known nor by just being dutifully obeyed, but by being enjoyed in the knowing and the obeying.” God is glorified in the knowing when you enjoy reading your Bible for instance. It is joy to you, and it is joy to your Father in fellowship. You enjoy obeying God and aligning your life with Him, it is joy to Him. That is when He is being glorified and not because there is a checklist – that is just religion, the letter. The ultimate objective of worship is the enjoyment of the Father. Jn 4:¹⁶ “Go and get your husband...”

Prayer (song): I love You, Lord and I lift my voice to worship You. Oh my soul rejoice! Take joy my King in what You hear, let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear. Amen!