Heart Tracks - Living Worship

     We know so little of what true worship is.  Generally, we think of it in terms of something we do when we "come to church."  It's limited to a few hymns or choruses, maybe some prayer, certainly some sort of "message" from the pulpit, and hopefully, none of this will take much more than an hour.  When its over, we've had our "time of worship."  We're now free to go about our lives, mostly in our own strength, though we may have tucked away some scriptures for future reference, or even set aside some time for "devotions."  It's a far cry from what we're created for and what He calls us to.

    In Jeremiah 32:40, the Father says, "I will put a desire in their hearts to worship Me, and they will never leave Me."  Can we be honest?  Is that desire really in our lives?  Do we look forward to any time with Him with deep desire, a desire not dependent on emotions or circumstances, but simply one of being with Him?

Do devotional times, or our weekly or bi-weekly corporate gatherings leave us with a growing desire for more of Him, or, are we left with the sense that we've "done our duty," not joyfully but obligingly, having co-operated with His "commands?"  I fear the answers fall much more in that latter.  Does that trouble you and me?

   True worship, worship as life, brings us into an ever deepening Christ-consciousness in all of our lives and ways.  It is living moment by moment in, not only before, but in Him, in His Presence.  It is living out the reality of Ephesians 3:19, living in the fullness of His life and power.  It is, regardless of our emotions or circumstances, a state of being with and in Him as we are.  In our weakness and our strength.  In our joy and our sorrow.  It's every part of us being in every part of Him.  It is living with an ever increasing capacity to believe, obey, and enjoy Him.  It's not being content with hand-me-down truth or second-hand faith.  It is having both, fresh and whole from Him.  It's living in ever deepening intimacy with His truth, the truth that is Christ.  The real Christ.  It's ceasing to live as the Corinthian church, in the flesh, and living as the Ephesian church, in the power of His resurrected life.  Who do we more closely resemble in our day to day lives?  The Corinthians or the Ephesians.  Believe me, if we don't know the answer to that, our friends, family, co-workers and neighbors surely do.
    True worship is, I believe all of this and much more, but I think it will always involve this; living a life not of human expectation of Him, but of holy assurance in Him.  When we live with those expectations, we live in bondage and bitter disappointment when He doesn't meet them.  When we live in a holy assurance of Him, secure in His goodness and love regardless of the situations or circumstances, this is freedom, and this is worship.  May this be my life, and yours, today.

Blessings,

Pastor O