What motivates you? The word itself means “something, i.e. dream or desire, that stirs you to action”. This brings to mind the word “passion”. Knowing what you are passionate about and how it relates to the Kingdom of God is a crucial step in our life walk with Christ. As I have said before, either everything is spiritual or it isn’t and God is IN everything or He isn’t. I cannot see where one can have true passion for something real and it not be connected to Him.
I came across a stunning example of passionate worship recently in reading Matthew 28. After Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, He was seen by His disciples as they made their way to Galilee.
“Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus has set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him, they worshiped Him. Some though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.”
Matthew 28:16-17, The Message Remix
How many times have we been unsure about risking ourselves totally for Christ? The mere thought of that crushes my heart in knowing I have done this so many times before. Passionate worship is a place of pure abandonment, where you are no longer concerned about where you are, who is there or what people may think as you give yourself to our Lord and Savior. When we can connect our passion for Him to our worship, we enter to a place where we are ministering to the Lord.
In Daniel 7, there is mention in one of Daniel’s dreams where he saw into heaven. He spoke about being in the throne room of the Most High God and where he saw a thousand thousand ministering to the Lord ~ that is 1 MILLION people. Daniel then mentioned the ten thousand times ten thousand who stood before Him ~ equivalent of 100 million people. Hmm…my calculations tell me there are 99 million fewer people who are close enough to Him to be able to minister to the Lord, as compared to the ones who are standing before Him. I don’t know about you but I want to be as close to Him as I can get!
Imagine the sheer privilege it would be to minister to our Lord! You see, worship isn’t about us coming before God with a wish list of things we want Him to do for us. Worship is about Him, about giving Him all the glory, honor and adoring love He is due just because of WHO He is, not about WHAT He can do for us. This is where the modern day church has fallen short. We make worship into an entertainment even with great music, dance and all the other feel goods we can muster. But, at the end of the day, we must ask ourselves, did we enjoy worship? If the answer is yes, I fear that we have failed in honoring Him and, instead, gotten something for ourselves out of worship. True worship GIVES, it pours out and expects nothing in return. If we have enjoyed worship, then what did God receive from it?
His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than our ways – read Isaiah 55. He doesn’t think like us nor we like Him so what we enjoy is likely to make God want to puke! Strong words indeed but you must realize your life is NOT your own, it is His. He gave you life by giving you His life – you have been bought with a price, that is with His supreme sacrifice. The Psalmist, David, said, “I will not offer You a sacrifice that costs me nothing.” Do you see the connection?
Worship is a sacrifice it COSTS us everything, if we are worshiping in spirit and in truth. So what motivates your worship? Are you more interested in getting something from God or giving something to Him? Is your concentration centered around the sound of music or listening for the sound of His voice? Reconsider your position, your passion in worshiping Him – let Him purify your heart and your motives.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
Matthew 5:8
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