Worship is the genuine, active expression of love and devotion

Worship is the genuine, active expression of love and devotion to God. Real worship transcends the sum total of its parts as it is caused by the Lord and inhabited by the Spirit. Jesus tells us in John 4:23 “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” The Father actively seeks worshippers. Consider this story in Mark 11: “When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!” We say we’re the worshippers that He seeks, but what kind of worship do we offer? Do we offer intimate worship like those that personally ministered to Jesus by bringing the colt and throwing their own cloaks over it — that He might be enthroned upon them? It seems like only a few were really involved in that sacrificial ministry in Mark 11. A great many more were willing to spread their cloaks on the road. Still their own cloaks, but the personal touch — touching Jesus and Him touching them — was missing. They were there, but they certainly weren’t up-close and personal. And then there were those that, apparently, even stole from others so that they might “do something” for Jesus. Yep, they went out into fields that weren’t their own, and cut down branches which weren’t theirs, and got a lot of press as they paraded around, waving them in the general direction of Jesus. Ahh, the crowd. No matter their activity, make no mistake, they were spectators, doing it their way at a safe distance. The Father actively seeks worshippers. Those worshippers worship inwardly, yes. (Their thoughts, Psalm 16:7; their emotions and feelings, Psalm 9:1; and even their desires, Psalm 37:4.) But that inward worship is made outward “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) May you be blessed, and may the Lord be exalted as you worship Him in Spirit and Truth. — Pastor Terry For more on this, listen to last Sunday’s study in it’s entirety from Mark, chapter 11