Murphy’s Law on Worship
My 100lb Shepherd/Lab mix, Murphy, illustrates to me every day what it looks like to show great respect, honor, and devotion. At any point, whether I on the couch, sitting at my desk, or putting my makeup on, Murphy is in a worship position, not taking his eyes off me. It appears most of the time, Murphy’s worship of me is not self-serving. Don’t get me wrong; there are times when his eyes are intensely focused on me, — only because he wants a bone-bone (I am enabling his addiction-that’s another story). But generally, most of the time, Murphy lays there with a look of how much he loves me. I love my Murphy.
Oh, how I long to be more like Murphy when I worship God. To worship at all times, not taking my eyes off of Him. Worshipping the Lord because of who He is, and out of pure love and devotion, and not be self-serving in any way.
John Piper says, “True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.” That is a true statement when you are responding from the heart. But unless the position of your heart is that of deep reverence for who God is, His Character, and His Word, we find ourselves just worshiping as an “in the moment” kind of thing or because He did something for us.
Murphy’s worship of me is not as loyal as it appears. For example, he seems to be greatly devoted with an enthusiastic tail wagging that would make anyone feel loved. Only to find out it is not true love. The so-called true love that quickly replaced me was his heart desires. Which was not me at all, but what I was able to give him.
I think sometimes our worship of God contains some self-centeredness mixed in with our “to-do” lists. This type of devotion is a good indication that our will is not lined up with God’s will. So how do we get our hearts in a worship position? Once you have professed God as your Savior, you receive the Holy Spirit. And we are to worship in Spirit and Truth. So next would be to know God’s Word, His truth. And that means taking time to sit with Jesus and let Him fill you to overflow. Because the Scriptures are living, they truly can transform you. His Word can inspire you from a distance but impacts you up close. Your heart can change, and God wants to change it, so you will know He is worthy of ALL PRAISE. Get to know Him, not about Him, and you will see what it means to have joy and overflow with thankfulness.
Read Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This book of the Bible is a perfect blend of theology and practice and tells us that Christ must always be preeminent in a Christian’s affections and worship.
Colossians 2: 6-7
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
