What is REAL WORSHIP?

"Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations - I cannot bear your evil assemblies." (Isaiah 1: 13)

Most of the time when we mention 'worship' we'll immediately think about touching songs; great music; people singing from the depths of their hearts. How many times have we stopped and wondered whether our offerings or songs, our voices and our talents is a pleasant offering in God's eyes?

Are not our voices, our talents and our everything given by our Father in Heaven? Is it pleasing to Him simply when we offer something that He gave us? God said, "your incense is DETESTABLE to me". So, what then is worship? He told us to keep the Sabbath holy, to gather together; he told us to do all these things and now He says that our offerings are detestable to Him? I was confused at the time about what God wants.

When we look at the story of Abel and Cain, we can see that the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. (Genesis 4: 4-5) I've always wondered why God did not look with favor in Cain's offering. Is it because he offered fruits while Abel offered fat portions? Or is it because Cain offered leftovers or fruits that not of good quality? If i was to offered God something that I know is not good, I wouldn't even dare to look at God in the eye let alone being angry at Him for not accepting my offerring. But Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. So, surely he had given good offerings if not the best of his fruits to the Lord.

God did not look at the offerings, but look first at the person who offered it. It says, "The Lord looked with favor in Abel and his offerings..." God looked first at Abel then only at his offering. It was because Abel's walk with God was right that God looked with favor in his offering.

Even for me, sometimes I tend to serve and give my best to God in my service and forget that if my walk with God is not right, all these things I do are DETESTABLE to Him."Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24)

How can I worship in Spirit and in Truth then? I believe that God has a purpose for me and He has a purpose in each one of us. The greatest offering I could possibly offer to God is not my talent, but my LIFE. To live my life in the way that I'll work my best towards fulfilling God's purpose in me. This means every area of my life must be right in God's eyes, not just when I go out and speak about God. This means my studies, the way I treat people, what I think to myself must be right in God's eyes.

So, will we continue to live only for ourselves or is it time to live FOR God? This is one thing I'm still struggling to do. So, let us encourage one another towards Him with love and respect.

God Bless.