Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30
Some people think that the Worship of God as elevating the greatness of God. For them God should always be high and lifted and magnified. On the other hand the opposite of is true for those who worship an awesome God and recognize that are unworthy of his notice. Let’s consider that worship is an act of homage given to show respect for a superior such as a ruler or king.
One could say worship is displaying respect for another and the giving of honor due them. Another way of describing worship is elevating the worth of another person while lowering your position to one of servitude. In this respect Jesus came to serve the needs of mankind and in the process made himself a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9).
He was seated beside the most high but to fulfill the plan of his father Jesus took on flesh. Jesus humbled himself to live among the poor and needy sharing in the suffering of humanity so he may understand the plight of man. Yet he put his position, importance and glory aside to serve his father’s desire to reconcile men through his plan of salvation. Though it meant a cruel death on the cross Jesus set his mind with a resolve to finish the work God sent him to do. His determined mindset was summed up with the words “not my will but yours.” God’s wish was Jesus’ command.
In other words Jesus came with an attitude of the servant. In kissing the king’s hand you are saying I am here to serve and I am at your disposal. It is a commitment of service to carry out the command of the king whatever it may be. At the same time the servant needs no special recognition for you have only done your duty. The reality of servant hood is submission and the recognition that you are dedicated to serve a person greater than you.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' Mark 12:30
The greatest law of God is love. The love God wants from his children gives him a place of honor. Our love for God gives us a means to serve one another in Christ. Jesus came as God’s example of love and his love for his father and mankind was shed upon us on the cross.
The Bible tells us that all have sinned and separates us from a holy God. However God’s sense of justice demanded the death of those who sinned. Right standing with God could only be satisfied with death but Jesus was sent to die bearing our sin to satisfy God’s justice. Jesus exchanged his life for our lives and only asked us to obey him as our Lord.
Jesus showed the extent of his love for his father and the needs of mankind by becoming a servant of God and free man from the slavery of sin. In this way Jesus stepped down from his throne in glory and assumed the position of a person God created. He became a lowly servant who was heard because of his reverent submission to his father’s need. As God’s servant Jesus demonstrated the love of God and as servants of the most high our goal is to let the world know that God loves them in the same way he loves his children. Jesus said;
'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40
Worship allows God to serve men through your reverence as you make every effort to fulfill the desires of God. Among his desires is his personal will for your life for it is the ministry God commissioned you to do. Its purpose is to let people know God loves them and give them an opportunity to be reconciled into right relationship with our heavenly father. Jesus said
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23
Denying oneself is to give your highest priority that allows God’s needs to have precedence over yours. Carrying out God’s will demands that you deny self; that is to deny what you are doing now, your self-importance and your position in life to serve him. The right to rule your life belongs to Christ and the importance of his will rises above your personal autonomy. As Jesus said;
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work John 4:34
Worship is putting your faith into action by producing physical deeds from the truth of our beliefs. It requires humbling yourself to submit to the authority of another who is deemed of greater worth. Humbling your person doesn’t deprive you of honor rather it is the sharing the love God has for his creation. It is the relationship you have with God as much as allowing you to share the love God has for your fellow man. Remember what Jesus said?
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30
We have the example of Jesus Christ who stopped what he was doing to care for the needs of a person who was hurting. His compassion to relieve the suffering of the helpless also recognized what we may consider an unworthy person as being someone of importance to God. The bible says;
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10
Devotion is another form of worship as it initiates a priority to love another person. Daily devotions is setting aside specific and purposeful time to be with God and the willingness to be used for his purposes. In the same way devotion is considered being consistently faithful to your promises, causes, and to a person deemed worthy.
Worship has a broader view than elevating the worth of God for it includes obeying the God who loves you more than we can comprehend. One may think that you are always at the bottom of the pile when you consider the ten million neighbors you have to honor above yourself. However in Christ, those ten million neighbors have to honor you above themselves. It just may be that worship of our creator is beneficial in that when we worship God we are sowing seeds of reverence and reap a harvest of respect from God and our fellow man. 2/26/2014
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