Too Familiar With God

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together" (Psalm 34:3)

Worship rises or falls in any church altogether depending upon the attitude we take toward God, whether we see God big or whether we see Him little. Most of us see God too small; our God is too little. David said, "O magnify the Lord with me," and "magnify" doesn't mean to make God big. You can't make God big. But you can see Him big.

Worship, I say, rises or falls with our concept of God; that is why I do not believe in these half-converted cowboys who call God the Man Upstairs. I do not think they worship at all because their concept of God is unworthy of God and unworthy of them. And if there is one terrible disease in the Church of Christ, it is that we do not see God as great as He is. We're too familiar with God.

Oh, God, may my concept of You be worthy of Your majesty. Forgive me for being too familiar and for seeing You so small. I magnify You and fall on my face in worship. Amen

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The True Meaning of Worship

"Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name" (1 Chronicles 29:12-13)

Actually, basic beliefs about the Person and the nature of God have changed so much that there are among us now men and women who find it easy to brag about the benefits they receive from God - without ever a thought or a desire to know the true meaning of worship!

I have immediate reactions to such an extreme misunderstanding of the true nature of a holy and sovereign God.

My first is that I believe the very last thing God desires is to have shallow-minded and worldly Christians bragging about Him.

My second is that it does not seem to be very well recognized that God's highest desire is that every one of His believing children should so love and so adore Him that we are continuously in His presence, in Spirit and in truth.

That is to worship, indeed.

Lord, help me, in the midst of all the blessings You shower upon me, to keep my focus on the Giver and not on the gifts. Teach me to love and adore You in genuine worship. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~