God expressed His Love for us by the death and resurrection of His Son (see Romans 5:8). This costly Expression reveals the authenticity of what is in His heart. It is easy to give away what is not precious. Giving something of great value carries far more weight than token gifts and mere words. Nonetheless, words can carry great worth if there is great value in them. God’s words are Spirit, Life, and Truth (John 6:63 &17:17). They have weight. None of what He expresses comes from vanity or hypocrisy. God does not express what is not real and He does not give in order to look good. He is good; therefore, He gives good gifts. He is Love; therefore, He gives love. What He gives has meaning because He means everything He says and is intentional in what He does. Jesus is the Perfect Expression of the Father, and the Holy Spirit expresses the will and nature of the Father and the Son, perfectly. There is absolutely no pretence found in God. Everything He does and says reveals His true nature.
John 4:23-24 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 (KJV). If public worship means more than private worship, then public worship has little value. In truth, our corporate worship should be the result of private worship. True vanity is trying to express what is not real. If there is no true love and devotion behind the words and deeds, then they are meaningless (see Matthew 15:7-9). Keep in mind that worship acknowledges and exalts God for Who He is and is a way of life. Singing is part of worship, but it is not the whole of it. The way we live our life should be an expression of worship. For example, a person should do his or her job as an act of worship onto God, which means everything he or she does is as unto Him. That means doing things with excellence without the express purpose of self-promotion; rather, it promotes His glory in the work place. The way we treat others, whether they are believers or not, should acknowledge He is God. We are kind, gracious and merciful to others because it reflects His very nature and even His very Name. Exodus 34:6-7 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin . . . (KJV). Jesus said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:44-48, KJV).
How do we know if we are living a life of worship unto God? Perhaps a way to answer that question is to ask another question: whom am I trying to glorify? It is very simple, do I do things because I want to look good and have the acceptance of man, or do I do things to please the Father? Do I sing unto the Lord so people will take notice or because worthy is the Lamb? Do I teach or preach, do acts of benevolence or give so I have the respect of others. What motivates me to do what I do? It is good to acknowledge one another’s talents and gifts, because that even expresses the goodness of God. Where did those talents and gifts come from? In fact, we should treat each other as gifts from God. Encouraging one another is an act of worship and an expression of love. It is not just helping our brothers and sisters to operate in their gifts and exercise their talents; it is helping the Father’s sons and daughters. Does our life declare that Jesus Christ is Lord?
One final thought: in the hustle and bustle of daily living, it is easy to lose sight of having a lifestyle of worship. Life can be tough, but a lifestyle of worship can turn it into joy. Lets be honest, some people can be difficult to deal with as we go about our business. They can be hard to love, but as we center on Jesus and submit to the Holy Spirit, we can express the Father’s love to them as well. Part of worship is to desire what God desires, and He desires that all would come to repentance. Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (KJV).
