Devotion - The Measure of Worship
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
I love to worship God both corporately and personally. But what is the true measure of worship? Can it be measured in the first place?
I love to worship God both corporately and personally. But what is the true measure of worship? Can it be measured in the first place?
How often I have heard Christians say, "the worship was not good today, I did not feel the presence of God...". We forget that we are the worshipers and God is to be worshiped . It is God who must say whether the worship is good or not. For some worship and the presence of God is measured by how we "feel" in the worship service, echoing the "eros and the hedonism culture". Jesus said, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." - Mat 18:20. It has nothing to do with how we feel about it.
In some other congregations worship is associated with noise and tempo. The louder and faster the beat, the greater the presence of God. Amos 5:23 : Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
I strongly believe in worshiping God with songs and praising Him with the latest and best instruments. There is liberty in worship. But Paul draws our attention to another form of worship in Roms 12 :1, without which all our singing and dancing makes no sense or it will be just another form of bodily exercise. The worship that Paul talks about is painful and can be measured. It is to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. To Paul worship is not just the one hour we praise God in the church, it is a daily affair. Reasonable worship includes the following:
a. Present your.... It is intentional. An act of one's will. I love God and I take positive steps , with the help of tho holy Spirit, to present my body as a living sacrifice. It is not dependent on someone else. Neither do I have to wait for a revelation from God. 1 Cor 9:27 - No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. I deliberately put myself on the altar of God.
b. Painful. Only the dead feel no pain. When you put a living person on the alter as a sacrifice, the pain is excruciating. The word sacrifice means to give up, surrender. It means giving up something to the point that is hurts. It must cost me something to worship God. I put my time, my talents, my will, my all on the altar. When was the last time it cost me something, a real sacrifice, to worship God. God does not need our handouts please. It is not just money but our ambitions, our desires, a sincere desire to please God even to the point of becoming enemies of this world. Abraham said in Gen 22:4 - "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."For Abraham worship meant putting his only son on the altar. Worship broke his heart. I remember once a brother came to me. He had just lost his job. His last pay check was only $700 and he had to pay house rental for $3000. But he gave $500 for the mission work in India because there was an immediate need. Giving to God to the point it hurts. Living sacrifice. Is my prayer time a sacrifice or is it just to satisfy my conscience.
c. Piety. Holiness is the mark of a true christian. Our daily walk with the Lord must be characterized by the word "HOLY". Not just in public but even in our closet and in the seclusion of our minds. "Ye shall be holy unto me, for I you God am Holy".
d. Pleasing. Genesis 4: 4-5 - The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, but not with Cain and his offering. (CEV) Why was God pleased with Abel's offering? Is it because He needed a blood sacrifice?. Discuss more in the next devotion.
In some other congregations worship is associated with noise and tempo. The louder and faster the beat, the greater the presence of God. Amos 5:23 : Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
I strongly believe in worshiping God with songs and praising Him with the latest and best instruments. There is liberty in worship. But Paul draws our attention to another form of worship in Roms 12 :1, without which all our singing and dancing makes no sense or it will be just another form of bodily exercise. The worship that Paul talks about is painful and can be measured. It is to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. To Paul worship is not just the one hour we praise God in the church, it is a daily affair. Reasonable worship includes the following:
a. Present your.... It is intentional. An act of one's will. I love God and I take positive steps , with the help of tho holy Spirit, to present my body as a living sacrifice. It is not dependent on someone else. Neither do I have to wait for a revelation from God. 1 Cor 9:27 - No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. I deliberately put myself on the altar of God.
b. Painful. Only the dead feel no pain. When you put a living person on the alter as a sacrifice, the pain is excruciating. The word sacrifice means to give up, surrender. It means giving up something to the point that is hurts. It must cost me something to worship God. I put my time, my talents, my will, my all on the altar. When was the last time it cost me something, a real sacrifice, to worship God. God does not need our handouts please. It is not just money but our ambitions, our desires, a sincere desire to please God even to the point of becoming enemies of this world. Abraham said in Gen 22:4 - "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."For Abraham worship meant putting his only son on the altar. Worship broke his heart. I remember once a brother came to me. He had just lost his job. His last pay check was only $700 and he had to pay house rental for $3000. But he gave $500 for the mission work in India because there was an immediate need. Giving to God to the point it hurts. Living sacrifice. Is my prayer time a sacrifice or is it just to satisfy my conscience.
c. Piety. Holiness is the mark of a true christian. Our daily walk with the Lord must be characterized by the word "HOLY". Not just in public but even in our closet and in the seclusion of our minds. "Ye shall be holy unto me, for I you God am Holy".
d. Pleasing. Genesis 4: 4-5 - The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, but not with Cain and his offering. (CEV) Why was God pleased with Abel's offering? Is it because He needed a blood sacrifice?. Discuss more in the next devotion.
I find some resemblance in Rom 12:1 with what Jesus said Mark 12:30 although not in the right sequence. "And you shall (present) love the Lord your God with all your heart (Holiness from the inner being) , and with all your soul (living), and with all your mind (pleasing) , and with all your strength (Body): this is the first commandment."
My thought: In another words, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice is to Love God with all your heart , and with all your soul, and with all your mind , and with all your strength. What do you think?
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