David loved to worship God.
Psalm 122:1 (ESV)
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
Psalm 42:2 (ESV)
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:4 (ESV)
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.
Worshiping God is one of the great privileges of life. We should all be filled with joy whenever we are afforded the opportunity to worship Him. One of the most revealing signs that the church has fallen into a state of indifference and ingratitude is the lack of willingness for members to assemble to worship God. I see this plaguing local churches everywhere I go. For far too many, who call themselves Christians, it seems as if it is a heavy burden to assemble with the saints to praise and adore God. What a shame.
We all should examine our feelings toward worshiping God. Like David, it should be a joyous occasion every time we go to worship God. Everything we do in our worship services is a privilege and a blessing. Each individual act of worship should bring us joy and edification.
We should all love singing and praying and studying God’s Word. We should count it an honor to be able to give as God has prospered us. The Lord’s Supper, even though we partake of it with mixed emotions, knowing that it was our fault that Jesus had to die, should bring us joy since it reminds us that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ.
If you do not look forward to the times you have the opportunity to worship God with other saints, it is a good idea for you to examine yourself to ascertain why. What is it about worshiping God that makes it feel like a burden to you?
We are never closer to God than when we gather together to worship Him with other saints. Doing so increases our spiritual growth and elevates our knowledge of the scriptures. It deepens our resolve to serve Christ and strengthens our relationship with God. It is a time of praise and adoration that allows us to escape the problems of life for a little while and focus on things of a higher and nobler nature. Worshiping God is good for our mind, body and soul, and its benefits only increase when we do it with other Christians.
Even if we attend all the services of the local church of which we are a part, we still need to examine ourselves to make sure that we are doing so for the right reason. To worship God when we really do not want to is a waste of time. Jesus said we must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). To worship God in spirit is to do so with the right attitude. Paul also taught us the importance of this.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
1 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.
Spiritual worship is only accomplished by those who love doing it and are fully engaged in every act of worship when the saints gather to give honor to God. It is time to take inventory. If our mentality is any different than that which David demonstrated, let’s do something about it before it is too late.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.