Worship, a daily thing to do

What comes to your mind when you hear the word worship? Of course, most of us will think of a Sunday service, which is a compilation of music, the word and other things we do at church. All this is correct. You can worship alone during your personal devotion or do it in a group with other people. According to me, any gathering, which includes prayer, singing, (reading or hearing)the word and communion is what I would call worship. However, I would like to take you back to second of book of the bible in the Old Testament, which is Exodus.

That may be helpful in the process as we wonder what worship would mean for all of us today. Here are the things you may come across if you carefully read Exodus.

1. People of Israel had to be set free to go and worship God. In other words, worship sets us free. It is in God's presence that you find freedom because all anxieties, fears and burdens will be gone. In worship, we exchange what we have to what Jesus has for us. We hand over to the Lord all the chains and bondage of our lives, and receive freedom, peace, joy and hope from Jesus.

2. Worship does not require a specific place to happen. You can do it anywhere. In Exodus, there is a request that the Israelites would go to worship at the mountain. However, in John, Jesus explains to the Samaritan woman that worship does only have to happen in Jerusalem or Samaria, but anywhere (John 4: 23). What is expected is to worship God in Spirit and Truth.

3. Worship is about your whole Self, not part of who you are.You will also notice that in the book of Exodus, Pharaoh did not want to let all the people go. He asked Moses to only take the men. Then later, he asked to take everyone, but not the flock and their possessions. This is real life, isn't it? You feel that you cannot give hundred percent of who you are to God, don't you? Or you tend to give everything to God, except your money. Or you do the other way round. Worship means giving who we are and what we have to the Lord. It means to surrender our whole Selves to the One who created us.

Worship is a good thing to do everyday on your own and with other people. Make sure you belong to a group and a church for your personal and spiritual growth. Be blessed and of good courage always!

Emmanuel