Worship

Hey y'all! Again, it's been a while....sorry, I'm sure you guys have been busy too! It's just that time of year, yah know? Not that I mind, I love this season......the holidays, the leaves falling, apple cider, pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, bonfires, laying by the pool (oh wait, that's just me! It's about 75 here today)......wonderful.


Worship seems to have been the theme of my week. On Wednesday, Pastor Josh (my worhsip pastor at Christ Life Church of the Highlands), spoke on worship. It was awesome, exactly what I needed to hear. You see, I was tired on Wednesday and almost didn't go to church...but felt that I should at the last moment. Anyway, Josh's main point was that worship is a sacrifice. He pointed out that the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate act of worship, was Jesus, dieing on the cross. In response to that, we need to worship in a way that costs us something. For me, singing a song, raising my hands, "feeling" worshipful, is not a sacrifice. I love it! Not to say that you should be miserable in worship, but if you only worship in ways that are enjoyable to you, is it really giving something to the Lord? Not to say that singing is bad, but you have to make it more then a song. For me, I have to engage my mind. I have to meditate on Jesus, I have to challenge myself to reach for more then just a feeling, or a nice melody, I have to press deeper. That's a sacrifice. It takes effort for me to really seek the Lord in worship, rather then just enjoy his presence. I guess there can be a time to just sit in wonder, but more often you have to press through the frustrations of the day in order to reach for more of Jesus.

It's a struggle to stay engaged in worship.....sometimes I'd rather just enjoy the music, or check out all together. But if worship doesn't require effort, is it really worship?

Another thing I learned about worship....it doesn't matter what language you speak, if you're worshiping Jesus, you know it. I went to a Chinese Bible study with my friend Abby yesterday....wow! It was so amazing to worship with other believers from such a different culture! These people were all Chinese college students that go to Mississippi State University. They spoke english, but most of them didn't speak it well, so we couldn't communicate much. However, when we were singing (which was all in Chinese), there was no doubt that we were worshiping the same God. I didn't have to know what they were saying, because I knew the same spirit was in them that was in me....incredible.


How amazing is our Lord? He understands everyone of his children, reguardless of language, and he has put them same Holy Spirit in each of us, to teach us and to guide us. How can we worship anyone else? He is the ONLY one that deserves my praise and devotion. Hallelujah!

-Julie