Vol. 17.10.31
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Worship is the expression of
reverence shown to one considered to be in position of honor. It is commonly
attributed to deities, it is a way of adoring a god. God so much desires the
worship of His subjects and His jealousy is revealed in this act when it is given
to other gods besides Him. He will tolerate no man to bow to other gods but
that all men might worship Him alone. The fact that God seeks true worshippers
is a clear indication that there are both right and wrong worship that are
acceptable and not acceptable respectively. God is firm in His operations as He
has unwavering conditions that His worship must meet before it can be
considered acceptable; he is not at the mercy of taking whatever man brings,
but His requirements must be met. He is not disadvantaged to need man's worship
desperately as to take whatever is offered to Him. God turns down sacrifices
and accepts when His standard is met, as He turned down Cain's sacrifice but
accepted Abel's. He was clear in giving specific requirements for which sacrifices
were to be offered throughout scriptures, and who ever chooses to come to him
must be willing to adjust to suit these conditions.
What was it that made the sacrifice of Abel ascend heaven with a sweet
smell even when it was carried out without any formal guidance through
knowledge? What therefore determines God's preference for a man's sacrifice
that makes Him honor and accept one but reject another? The following are
considered important.
THE HEART: The ability of God to see beyond human's beautifully appealing face down into his heart and know the intent therein and his motives for his actions has been one of the keys to maintaining rightness. Otherwise, those with beautiful faces having negative motives would have gotten the applause and approval; even the great Prophet Samuel nearly fell into this trap of deception considering the convincing look of Eliab saying, certainly God's anointed is here before me (1 Samuel 16:6). In other words, he gave him his approval as God's anointed until God interrupted his judgement which was based on the outward appearance, he was good outwardly but inwardly did not meet God's requirements. 1 Samuel 16: 7 KJV: ‘But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart’. God does not look elsewhere other than the heart of man, the seat of his thoughts, from where issues of life that determines one's act are generated.
Many have labored on their outward parts with decays on the inward part, thinking God can be persuaded with their lips while their heart seek after other things. They praise him with their lips but not with their heart (Isaiah 29:13). Prophet Ezekiel wrote; ‘And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. (Ezekiel 33:31 KJV), meaning that they might sometimes do good but it is not out of love but are after the selfish gain that will proceed from it. They might gain applause from many but the one who searches the heart says, it is unacceptable
THE HEART: The ability of God to see beyond human's beautifully appealing face down into his heart and know the intent therein and his motives for his actions has been one of the keys to maintaining rightness. Otherwise, those with beautiful faces having negative motives would have gotten the applause and approval; even the great Prophet Samuel nearly fell into this trap of deception considering the convincing look of Eliab saying, certainly God's anointed is here before me (1 Samuel 16:6). In other words, he gave him his approval as God's anointed until God interrupted his judgement which was based on the outward appearance, he was good outwardly but inwardly did not meet God's requirements. 1 Samuel 16: 7 KJV: ‘But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart’. God does not look elsewhere other than the heart of man, the seat of his thoughts, from where issues of life that determines one's act are generated.
Many have labored on their outward parts with decays on the inward part, thinking God can be persuaded with their lips while their heart seek after other things. They praise him with their lips but not with their heart (Isaiah 29:13). Prophet Ezekiel wrote; ‘And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. (Ezekiel 33:31 KJV), meaning that they might sometimes do good but it is not out of love but are after the selfish gain that will proceed from it. They might gain applause from many but the one who searches the heart says, it is unacceptable
THE BODY: There is a strong
connection between the body of man and his worship. The body of man plays a big
role in his relationship with God. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
that is where He dwells, we house the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:19), ‘And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the
living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and
I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians
6:16 KJV). Our spiritual sacrifice cannot be offered without our
body in check Romans 12: 1 KJV. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service’.
Apostle Paul beseech the church
on the need to present their body to God a holy sacrifice, lifting it to God in
total surrender; that is, ‘it is no longer mine, you own it, you have bought it
with a price, your blood, therefore it is no longer mine but yours, and I
hereby present it to you as living sacrifice’. It is not a dead sacrifice as we
do not need to be dead physically to lay the body. We are living but dead,
fulfilling Galatians
2:20, that though, we be dead (dead to sin) yet we live, dead to the
old life but now alive in Christ. We are therefore beseeched to present our
body to him, knowing it is no longer ours but His, we must live with this in
mind. It must be holy, undefiled, set apart unto God. This, he called our
reasonable and acceptable act of worship. Therefore,
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper
WORSHIP (Romans 12: 1NIV).
This is very important and our body must be reverenced unto God.
SPIRITUALITY
John 4: 23-24 KJV. ‘But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth’.
It's the desire of God to restore man to the Spiritual communion he (man) lost in Eden. Several attempts had been made to manage through but it all did not fulfil His desire until God through His Spirit brought us back into that communion through Jesus Christ. God is spirit, this is emphatic and spirits only fellowship with spirits on spiritual basis and take spiritual worship items.
What interest did God have in the killing of animals presented on the altars by the priest for the people? God had no pleasure in all of these but only the bloody part of the animal, the animal stands as the carrier of the sin of men and the blood is demanded by God, meaning it is the life of it (for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof. (Lev 17:14 KJV) that God wants to see, while the other remains here on the earth. God is Spirit, we must embrace this and shift our attention from physical objects of worship to the life of the Spirit. No physical article of worship must be idolized as it is the Spirit of God in them that make them effective in breaking yokes. Whatever is not spiritual is not spiritual but carnal and to be carnal minded is enmity with God and cannot please Him.
John 4: 23-24 KJV. ‘But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth’.
It's the desire of God to restore man to the Spiritual communion he (man) lost in Eden. Several attempts had been made to manage through but it all did not fulfil His desire until God through His Spirit brought us back into that communion through Jesus Christ. God is spirit, this is emphatic and spirits only fellowship with spirits on spiritual basis and take spiritual worship items.
What interest did God have in the killing of animals presented on the altars by the priest for the people? God had no pleasure in all of these but only the bloody part of the animal, the animal stands as the carrier of the sin of men and the blood is demanded by God, meaning it is the life of it (for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof. (Lev 17:14 KJV) that God wants to see, while the other remains here on the earth. God is Spirit, we must embrace this and shift our attention from physical objects of worship to the life of the Spirit. No physical article of worship must be idolized as it is the Spirit of God in them that make them effective in breaking yokes. Whatever is not spiritual is not spiritual but carnal and to be carnal minded is enmity with God and cannot please Him.
ATTITUDE: There is a required attitude God demands in us when we offer our worship, our disposition matters. God does not want to appear beggarly. It is an honor to worship, it is a privilege to be among His countless worshippers. Luke 19:40 KJV says, ‘And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out’. Some of the attitudes God wants include;
1. Humble spirit: He desires that we present it humbly not boasting of our work but His grace (Luke 18:9-14)
2. Cheerfulness: He wants us to come cheerfully with joy not grudgingly as one compelled, but with a good will. He loves cheerful offering givers.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7(NIV).
3. Brokenness: Offerings could be offered to appease God of our wrong doings and in doing this, a heart of sorry must be shown and godly sorrow must grip our heart, His sacrifice is a broken spirit (Psalm 51:17, Jonah 3:6-8).
God is more interested in us than the physical materials we bring, he looks out for the state if the heart, our little can only be much if our life is right, that is why the woman who have the least with a good life got God's approval ahead those with fat offerings. Present yourself unto God holy and acceptable, for this is your reasonable sacrifice.
GOD BLESS YOU
Author
Harrison Nejo
harrisonnejo@gmail.com
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