What Does The Bible Say About Worship?

What Is Worship?
Worship is hard to define.  It is not really defined anywhere in Scripture—it is shown, but
not explained.  Worship is a direct acknowledgment to God of His nature, majesty, and
glory.  It may be shown by the heart overflowing in praise and thanksgiving, or by such
actions and deeds which show our recognition of God’s divine attributes, “Therefore by
Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving
thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).  The roots of worship grow from the human  
soul's need to pay homage to God and confess its love and gratitude.

Worship is something we give back to God.  God has given us all that we have (James 1:
17).  Worship is one of the only things we can give to God which isn’t already His!

A casual attitude toward God will cause us to lose sight of the aura of awe and majesty
that surrounds Him, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be
shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).  Even though God seeks intimate fellowship with man, we
must never forget who He is and who we are “God is greatly to be feared in the
assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those who are around Him”
(Psalm 89:7).        

Many people do not recognize the sanctity of certain things.  To them holy things are
common—there is nothing sacred about worship or the things of God.  Such disrespect
and contempt toward God’s things is dangerous spiritually “Of how much worse
punishment do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God
underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common
thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29).

When we approach God we must approach Him with reverence because “holy and
reverend is His name” (Psalm 111:9).  Reverence indicates something about
ourselves.  It shows that we realize our own unworthiness to even approach God.  
Ironically enough those are the kind of people God is seeking to worship Him!!       

--Rob Harbison