"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."
Why were we created? Was it to worship God? I was told that and used to believe that, however, now I do not think that is the case. Simply put, God does not need to be worshiped. That is to say, God is not some ego-maniac who is "unfulfilled" if we refuse to worship Him. No, the importance of worship is for ourselves, not for Him. What does worshiping God do for us?
1. It helps us understand our position, that is, that He is God and we are not. When we worship Him, we understand our place, that is, that there is Someone bigger than us, but not just bigger, Someone who loves us and cares for us.
2. It helps us take our minds of the here and now, and focus on God and the future He has for us. It is a little bit of a sappy song, but I have always loved the Imperials song, Praise the Lord. The lyrics go like this,
3. It will result in blessing. I believe as we worship Him, He unleashes blessings on us. "You inhabit the praises of your people." Psalm 22:3. Think of your children. When they thank you and praise you, how do you respond to them? Do you look for ways to bless them? "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give what is good to him who asks!" I would simply substitute "asks" with "him who worships." You will be richly rewarded as you worship Him.
God doesn't need us to worship Him; we need to worship Him for ourselves.
Why were we created? Was it to worship God? I was told that and used to believe that, however, now I do not think that is the case. Simply put, God does not need to be worshiped. That is to say, God is not some ego-maniac who is "unfulfilled" if we refuse to worship Him. No, the importance of worship is for ourselves, not for Him. What does worshiping God do for us?
1. It helps us understand our position, that is, that He is God and we are not. When we worship Him, we understand our place, that is, that there is Someone bigger than us, but not just bigger, Someone who loves us and cares for us.
2. It helps us take our minds of the here and now, and focus on God and the future He has for us. It is a little bit of a sappy song, but I have always loved the Imperials song, Praise the Lord. The lyrics go like this,
"When you're up against a struggle That shatters all your dreams And your hope's been cruelly crushed By Satan's manifested scheme And you feel the urge within you To submit to earthly fears Don't let the faith your standing in Seem to disappearCHORUS:Praise the Lord He can work through those who praise Him Praise the Lord For our God inhabits praise Praise the Lord For the chains that seem to bind you Serve only to remind you That they drop powerless behind youWhen you praise Him
3. It will result in blessing. I believe as we worship Him, He unleashes blessings on us. "You inhabit the praises of your people." Psalm 22:3. Think of your children. When they thank you and praise you, how do you respond to them? Do you look for ways to bless them? "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give what is good to him who asks!" I would simply substitute "asks" with "him who worships." You will be richly rewarded as you worship Him.
God doesn't need us to worship Him; we need to worship Him for ourselves.
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