Worship - Spirit and Truth

True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how the worship looks to other people. Focusing on these things completely misses the point. Jesus tells us that true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This means we worship from a pure heart!

Worship - The Heart of the Matter
Worship can include praying, reading God's Word with an open heart, singing, participating in communion, and serving others. It's not limited to one act, but is done properly when the heart and attitude of the person is in the right place.

Worship and praise are reserved only for God. Only He is worthy; not any of his servants (Revelation 19:10). We are not to worship saints, prophets, statues, idols, angels, or any other false gods. We shouldn't worship for the expectation of something in return, such as a miraculous healing. Worship is done for God, and God's pleasure alone! Worship can be public praise to God (Psalm 22:22, 35:18), in a congregational setting, where we can proclaim through music and praise our adoration and thankfulness to Him and what He has done for us. True worship is felt inwardly, and then comes out through our actions. "Going through the motions" out of obligation is unpleasing to God, and is done completely in vain. He can see through all the hypocrisy, and He hates heartless worship (Amos 5:21-24). A powerful example of this is the story of Cain and Abel, the first sons of Adam and Eve. They both brought gift offerings to the Lord, but He was only pleased with Abel's. Cain brought the gift out of obligation. Abel brought his finest lambs from his flock out of true faith and admiration for God.

Worship - The Heart of David
As far as worship, King David was a phenomenal example for all of us. He had a pure and grateful heart towards God and worshipped Him with the entirety of his being. Many of the Psalms reflect David's passionate heart for worship. "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night" (Psalm 92:1-2). I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised… (Psalm 18:3a). Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3). David was a man after God's own heart, because he truly glorified God in his heart!

Worship - Glorify and Exalt God!
True worship is not confined to singing in church or open praise (although these things are both good and we are told to do them in the Bible), but it is the heartfelt acknowledgment of God and all His power and glory in the things we do. To truly worship God, we must know Him and not be ignorant of His good and glorious nature (Acts 17:23). In a nutshell, worship is to glorify and exalt God; to show our loyalty and admiration to our Heavenly Father!