Spiritual Worship

Rom 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."

God has provided the way for us to have fellowship with Him. He sent His son that He would offer up His body as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. In His mercy He chose forgiveness over wrath. We deserved it and He was well within His right to dole out the punishment due to us for our transgressions.  Instead, He chose mercy over judgment.

If He did that much for us, that we should enjoy His favor, then isn't the least that we can do to give up our bodies as living sacrifices. Instead, we complain about every little inconvenience that comes our way.  We want Him to give us lives full of pleasure and leisure.

This is where discipline comes in. If we are to experience His pleasure we have to deny ourselves and dedicate ourselves to the daily spiritual disciplines of a walk yielded to Christ.

First and foremost we need to immerse ourselves in the Word. There is no greater discipline than to focus on His revealed will as found in the Bible. We need to write His words upon our heart.  We need to dive deep in studying His revelation that we might know His will and not be swayed like a reed in the wind.  Too many Christians are like the baby birds in the nest and exist on regurgitated food.  We hear the sermon on Sunday and survive on that until the next Sunday. At most we might go to a midweek service and take in some Scripture that someone else has taken in and digested for us.  It is no wonder we can never take flight. We are eternal infants who refuse to feed ourselves.

Yes, I understand that an infant needs milk, but wouldn't we question a teenager that is still surviving on breast milk.  At some point you need solids and by a certain age you should be eating steak.  Too many Christians are content to exist on formula. In the beginning it is a good idea to get a devotional book and get exposed to a variety of Scriptures and read what the Lord has shown the author of that devotional book. But at some point you need to start reading the Scriptures in context. You need a concordance so that you can begin to look up related passages. You need to dive deep and chew on some spiritual meat.

Heb 5:12-14 "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk , not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk , being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

The second discipline is prayer and meditation. You need to separate yourselves from your surroundings and go into your prayer closet and spend some quality time with God. Bring your prayers and petitions before the throne along with your thanksgiving for all He has done for you.  Talk to Him, share your heart with Him. Then quiet yourself and listen for that still small voice.

Matt 6:6-7 "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling (vain repetitions KJV) like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."

Recently, we have been studying Hybels book The Power of a Whisper. Lest we confuse you when we talk about hearing God's voice we are not literally talking about hearing a voice.  Yes, sometimes there is an audible voice, but most of the time the Holy Spirit communicates to us through the voice of our conscience. "I should help that person", or "I should spend more time in prayer".  Those are the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We need to learn to recognize them and obey them.  When in doubt compare your musings to the Word and see if they line up. Share them with trusted peers that themselves listen to God. Ask yourself if you feel the peace of God when you think these thoughts. Finally, ask God for confirmation. You will be surprised how many times what you are thinking comes up in conversation or you read a Scripture directly related to that subject. You'll turn on the radio and someone is preaching a sermon on that very subject.  God is faithful to confirm His Word.

There are other disciplines that involve sacrifice such as fasting and giving.

If you are doing all these things then the natural outcome is doing, walking the walk, serving. It pleases God when we are obedient. Yes, our prayers and worship songs rise up to heaven like sweet smelling incense, but the thing that please God the most is when we set ourselves apart to serve His purpose surrendering and sublimating our wants to His will.

This is true worship.