Made For Worship

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Matthew 22:37-38

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:11-12

In the mid 17th century, our church forefathers gathered and compiled a document that was meant to encompass the core doctrines and beliefs of the Christian faith. This document, called the Westminister Catechism, was one of the most important and influential documents to come out of the Reformation. One of the Catechism’s most powerful statements is this – “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

We as humans spend our lives looking for meaning and purpose to our existence. So many of us bounce from one thing to the next looking for something to bring fulfillment to our empty lives. Our church forefathers grappled with this longing and came to this realization: We were made to worship the God of the universe. And not only that, we were made to enjoy Him forever and He us. In Ephesians 1 it says that we were chosen in order that we “might be for the praise of His glory.” God chose us before the beginning of time to take part in the worship of his Glory. What a thing to consider! We were made by Him and for Him – to love Him and to be loved by Him. The end (or purpose) of our lives is to love Him, enjoy Him, and glorify Him with our bodies, souls, minds, and strength. What an amazing and awe-inspiring truth!

It says in the scriptures that all creation joins in worship of the Father (Psalm 19, 96, 98). In fact it says in Romans (8: 19) that creation waits in eager expectation for us to move into our true calling. Us choosing to worship joins us into this eternal song. We become who we were made to be before the foundation of the earth. Don McMinn writes, “Our entire being is fashioned as an instrument of praise. Just as a master violin maker designs an instrument to produce maximum aesthetic results, so God tailor-made our bodies, souls and spirits to work together in consonance to produce pleasing expressions of praise and worship.”

Let’s look at the words of Jesus. When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38) What God wants from us is love, and a love that encompasses our entire heart, fills our soul, and consumes our mind. Everything else flows from that love. We were made to be adoring worshipers of God. Not because God needed someone to tell Him how great He is, but because He wanted someone to share in the beauty of his love and glory.

So I would encourage us (and myself) as people chosen to live lives of worship to start becoming who we were made to be. Start thinking of your life as worship. Start living and speaking and breathing to glorify God and join in with creation’s song of praise to the Almighty and Everlasting God who is forever glorified. Amen.

In the coming weeks we will look more at what worship is, what it looks like, and where it comes from. I have added “Amazing Love”, a new song that we sang on Sunday to the music library. Have a great week everybody! Cheers.

NEW SONG – “Starlight“
I have been preoccupied recently with psalm 8, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” The whole idea of the Great and Holy God humbling himself to even be mindful of us let alone laying down his life for us is staggering. In the light of the brightness of His Glory, His grace becomes more and more extraordinary. It was out of these reflections that this song was birthed. I hope it blesses you.