Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalms 100:1-5.
Praise and thanksgiving are the primary ingredients concocted in equal portion that one person needs to come into an essence of worship. King David, the "man after God’s own heart", wrote, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalms 100 : 4, 5.
Theologians define praise as man’s appreciative response to what God has done. So is thanksgiving. These are solid proofs to a Biblical theology stressing that God is "Immanent", which means that God is actively involved within the entire creation. We see His marvelous works from creation to crucifixion; from our justification to our glorification. Our God works. Our responses of gratitude are not the prime objective of God. He intends to make Himself known to us. Our appreciation of His wonderful acts, both natural and supernatural, should spur us into a higher plane of the knowledge of God. He wants us to know who He is. This is where we ascend into a loftier echelon of divine experience – worship. Much have been thought and inscribed about worshipping the God of heaven. Worship of God, which is bolstered by praise and thanksgiving, could be viewed in three perspectives.
First, worship requires a God-established personal position. It’s all about relationship with God. All of man’s praise, thanksgiving and worship offered to God, if deplete of personal relationship, are like arrows hitting a mile off the target. A person enters into personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12. One must realize his need of a Savior. In the same way, he must be nil of self so that he could allow God to replete his very soul with the riches of God that come along with salvation.
Second, worship reveals a God-endowed perpetual possession. Many Christian believers underestimate the value of worship, thinking it is just a simple part of their weekly routine. Worship is a precious possession. One can loose all his material valuables, skills, acquired knowledge and special talents. But no one can take away a heart of worship. Worship is a progressive possession. The more often a person worships, the more worship appreciates in its value.
Third, worship reinforces a God-empowered practical presentation. Worship transcends beyond the borders of rational and emotional frame. It is the highest plane of man’s experience with God. "God is Spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth" John 4:24. Worship effects the meditations of our mind, the motivations of our heart, and the manifestations of our life. Worship is a practical lifestyle. Man’s life is characterized by his worship, who he worships and how he worships.
Is worship of God, in Christ, evident in our lives? Let us give God an offering of praise and thanksgiving, culminating into worship – the highest stratum of man’s experience with God!
