Worship
Scripture Reading — Psalm 95
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker …
Psalm 95:6
Five hundred years ago Martin Luther said that every psalm calls us to worship. Each is designed to accent the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). We taught this to our preschool children this way: “Make God number one.”
God tells us to worship him, not something or someone else. Notice that God considers it impossible that we will worship nothing. Many folks say, “I never go to church,” implying, “I am not a worshiper.” But doesn’t every one of us set our hope on something? We need to find meaning in something in our life. So we set our heart, our affections, and our energy on our career or family or the stock market (big mistake), or education.
We don’t usually say it, but we often think, “If I had this thing or if I could achieve that goal, then I would be worth something.” The English word “worship” comes from an old English phrase: “worthship.” We are shaped by what we think has ultimate worth. We all have something that is number one in our life. It shapes us. Jesus suggested that God’s kingdom should be the number–one thing that shapes us (Matthew 6:33).
Notice that the psalmist calls us to “kneel before the LORD our Maker.” Many of Jesus’ followers still bend the knee when they enter a church and pray today. Is this an idea that would help you worship the Lord?
We worship you, our Lord and King. Help us to gratefully sing of your power and your love. Guide us to honor you with sincere worship, putting you first in our lives. Amen
About the author — Kevin Adams
Dr. Kevin Adams has served as a church planter/pastor in the Sacramento, California, area since 1991. He and his wife, Gerry, began Granite Springs Church in Lincoln, and this congregation has helped to nourish several other church plants. Kevin also serves as a director of the Sierra Leadership Network, a training program for new church leaders.
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