Devotion #1: Worship: More Than Music
When I think of the word worship, my mind immediately thinks about singing along with music. Sunday mornings during the Gathering, we worship with singing. Driving down the road, while singing along with the worship music that is playing through the speakers via Spotify, is also worship. However, the Apostle Paul tells us that worship is more than music.
In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” The first thing we see Paul point out is that we can only do anything by the mercies of God! We see that the word mercies is plural, meaning God’s mercy is a continuous gift given more than once, which ultimately points to Jesus paying for our sins on the cross. It is because of these mercies that we should present ourselves as living sacrifices to God.
In the Old Testament, priests made sacrifices to God. These sacrifices were animals that were killed. The blood of a pure animal had to be shed. In the New Testament, we see that Jesus eliminated the need for a continual blood sacrifice by offering Himself on the cross. His blood was shed once and for all. This is why Paul says to present ourselves as a “living sacrifice.” Paul is echoing the words of Jesus from Luke 9:23, “And he [Jesus] said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” We must make an intentional choice daily to live our lives in a way that reflects Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus is not something that takes place only on Sunday. Worshiping God does not only take place when we lift our hands and sing along to music. It should take place in every action we make, the words that we speak, and every breath that we take. The darkness of this world should be overthrown by the light of Jesus shining through our lives. Paul says in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Jesus is alive, and His Holy Spirit dwells in each of His followers.
So, just as every aspect of Scripture points to Jesus, every aspect of our lives should as well. I challenge you to pause for a moment and ask yourself if there is anything in your life that you need to give to God. Maybe you are holding back a part of your life that you do not want anybody to see. Give it fully to God. Remember, while singing worship is not a bad thing, choosing to be a living sacrifice daily is our true worship.
John 4:23-24 adds, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”