Worship - a podcast by David K Payne

Matthew 2:9-11 (NLT) After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 

“The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

 “Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so.” 
― D.A. Carson

The goal of the wise men's trip was to seek the cause of the star. The impact that the star had on their lives caused them to undertake of journey of at least a few weeks and maybe even months. Now they find the object of their journey, the subject of their inquiry and what do they find, a small baby or a child. Think of the paradox, that kings would bow to a child, but that is just what they did. Something in the scene, something in their hearts caused them to seek out and worship what they did not know.

The phrase is heard many times at advent, wise men still seek him, and certain for me this is true. Sadly, though many are so consumed with judging Him and comparing their opinion of him to themselves, they miss the magnitude of who He is. Oh, that we all knew what these men did, that more than comparison of the one they sought to others or themselves, something inside of their being recognized the child as the one who had given them everything they possessed. Their intellect, their reasoning, their possessions, status and life was all due this child.  May we never use the intellect we have been given by God as a means to judge whether or not worship of God is deserved. 

It is in the worship of the wise men that we come to understand that worship is not just in words or actions, but in the gifts, we bring. For the skeptic or the cynical we may try and reason away these actions, but at the heart of worship is a desire to offer back something to honor the one who gave all. They brought what they had and gave what was in their hearts to give. In worship, God is honored, and we are humbled. In such a scenario is there anything too extravagant that we might do.

 

Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him. Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” 
― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

For today, focus on what your heart is saying about God. What do you desire to do in your worship and honor of Him? What can you give to the one who gave you all to begin with. Some might reason nothing, and walk away not responding, but for those who realize all you are comes from Him, you respond by giving all back to Him. Today purpose to worship the Lord everyday with all of your being, inclusive of your time, talent and resources.

Just Be

David

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