Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                   Psalm 100:1-5

Worshiping God should be the central theme in the life of a Christian. Worshiping God is not limited to a particular time or place rather it should be at the very heart of everything we do. Psalm 100 is an excellent anthem for worship and provides for us at least four truths necessary for us to live a life of worship.

(1) To worship God, we have to know Him, not just information about Him.

“Know that the Lord Himself is God, it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.”

Knowing that God is the Creator of the universe and that He is responsible for all things that have come into being is an imperative part of worshiping Him. It would not make sense to expect a human being to worship a God with whom he/she was not familiar or acquainted. Worship requires us to be in a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I believe this is the primary reason why the world, in general, does not acknowledge or worship God. They simply do not know Him. Consider the following:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

                                                                                                                        John 1:1-3 

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

                                                                                                     Colossians 1:16-17

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

                                                                                                            John 17:3

(2) Worshiping and serving God should bring us great joy and gladness.

“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.”

This is where relationship triumphs over religion. Going through the motions of religious ritual doesn’t always bring about a sense of joy. That’s because God created us to have fellowship with Him. He is a living being and desires to see His creation come to know Him in a real and tangible way (1 Timothy 2:4). When the idea of worshiping or serving God brings feelings of dread or obligation, we know we have a relationship problem. Imagine a husband claiming to love his spouse but at the mention of having to spend time with her, he quickly finds something else to occupy his time. His behavior is evidence of how he truly feels about his relationship. If you’re not having an absolute blast (if I may use slang) serving God, something is wrong. Joy should be the norm in the life of a believer. 

(3) Worship is an outlet for us to express our thankfulness and gratitude.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”

I want to encourage you to look around and examine your life in light of all of the problems that go on in today’s world. Count your blessings and look at the material comfort and ease that you have been provided. It matters not what economic status you occupy, we all have much in which to be thankful. If you’re a believer and are struggling in the area of worship, consider the character and nature of God.

(4) We worship God because of His character and nature.

“For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.”

We worship God because He is good.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

                                                                                                                       Matthew 7:11 

We worship God because He is love.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

                                                                                                                      1 John 4:7-8

We worship God because He is kind.

For My yoke is easy (kind) and My burden is light.

                                                                 Matthew 11:30

We worship God because He is faithful.

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

                                                                                                               1 Corinthians 1:9

Is worship and service to God your lifestyle or are these foreign concepts to you? At one time or another, all of us struggle with having a thankful or worshipful attitude. Don’t get down on yourself if this describes you. Spend some time in Psalm 100 and ask yourself some biblically-centered questions concerning this area of your life.

Do I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Have I found my God-given purpose in life and am I pursuing that purpose?

Am I thankful for what I have or am I envious of others around me?

Do I know, from personal experience, that God is good, loving, kind, and faithful?

 

I hope worship brings you to a new and fresh place in your relationship with Christ this week!