WORSHIP: OBLIGATION OR PLEASURE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
When He had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted
up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He
left them and was taken up into Heaven. Then they worshiped
Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed
continually at the temple, praising God.
(Luke 24:50-53)

MEDITATION:
If someone asked you to define worship, what would you say?
Remember:
    It is not something we choose for entertainment.
    It is not a social event that we attend with others.
    It is not a weekly event on our calendar that we HAVE to attend.
Worship can be best described as ‘a response’.

When Jesus comes into our lives, we spend the remainder of our days
in response to what He did for us. Unfortunately many who claim to
be believers are missing out on the joy of true worship. Why? More
than likely it can be attributed to their level of commitment and the
amount of desire they have to fellowship with the Lord.

When we look at Luke 24:50-53, we see two defining things that take place.
    1. Before He returned to heaven,
         the LAST thing Jesus did was bless the disciples.
    2. After He blessed them, the FIRST thing they did was worship Him.
That is the example for us to follow – Jesus blesses; we worship in response.

Worship should be a high priority in the way we live. Does that mean we
have to sit in a church singing, praying, and listening to preaching all day?
Of course not! But it does mean that we look forward to worshipping the
Lord with other believers. It also means that we live our life with a keen
awareness of God’s presence. Why do we do that? So that others can see
that we value Him by the things we do and say.

ACTION:
What is your response to His blessings (especially His offering
of salvation to you)? He blessed you and your response is….?
Do you only worship the Lord with other believers when it
doesn’t interfere with your other desires? Or, do you look
forward to worship, with an excited anticipation of hearing
the Lord speak directly to you?
Note:
    God gives pastors a message to share with everyone in
    attendance, but if we listen closely, we can hear a part
    of His message speaking directly to us. If we are not
    ‘tuned in’ or if we allow other things to distract us,
    we may miss the part of His message tailored especially
    for us.

How much time do you allocate for worshipping the Lord?
Is it one hour a week (and only when it is convenient)? Or,
do you look forward to spending several hours worshipping
Him each week (adding prayer and daily bible reading on 
your own to corporate worship with others at church)?

Compare your excitement of attending a sporting event (or some
other activity that you enjoy) to your level of excitement when
worshipping the Lord (not just hearing His Word, but worship).

If you do not look forward to worshipping Him, then ask yourself,
“Why not?” Learn what the bible says and live your life in response
to the Lord. Pray and ask God to help you develop a desire to please
Him, so that your life will become an act of worship.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for providing a way for
me to spend an eternity with You when my earthly life
is over. Thank You for Your gracious gift of salvation.
Forgive me if I have taken Your enormous blessing for
granted, or if I have been treating it is a kind of ticket
to heaven, and that’s it. Help me to realize that I need
to show my appreciation by responding to the Your gift
of salvation to me. Create in me a desire to discover the
spiritual gift You have given me and to diligently use it
in serving You wherever You want me to serve. I pray
that You will not allow the evil one to destroy my zest
and excitement for worshipping You with other believers
and alone as well. Give me a thirst for reading Your Word,
and applying what it teaches me to my own life, so others
will know of my love, commitment, and faith in Jesus.”

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