Worship as Love
I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. – Psalm 116
What comes to mind when you hear of worship? Music with a slow tempo? Hillsong and Maverick City? Tears and emotions? You would not be wrong, but worship goes beyond rhythm and an intense emotional experience. So, may I suggest we move the conversation beyond music and to our will, affections, and thoughts?
What is worship, anyways? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, and devotion”. Certainly, this cannot be limited to music. Worship encompasses all of life, and boils down to one central question: Who (or what) do we love the most?
Timothy Keller defines worship as the “ascribing of highest worth.” He goes further to say “Whatever you value or love the most–whatever is your greatest source of significance or worship–you are worshipping in your heart.”
When I understood worship from this angle, it triggered a sober reflection. We claim we love Jesus and wear shirts branded “I am a Christian”, but what do our hearts yearn for? What are our affections? What do we think about the most? What motivates us? What makes us the most passionate?
What do we consider worthy of value?
Everyone is a worshipper, hence the reality of idols, which goes beyond carving woods or raising strange altars. If we love anything more than God, we create idols. These include good things like sex, money, marriage, children, or our career. Hence the greatest commandment centering around love for God:
“‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” — Mark 12:29-30 NIV
John explores this theme of love in his first epistle, ending with a warning to “keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” (1 John 5:21). Scripture uses the heart as a metaphor for the inner person, and love here is synonymous to devotion, what you are most loyal to and care for. It entails a strong commitment.
This brings us to the words of David, the man after God’s heart. He wrote a bulk of the psalms, and all express a closeness with God. Even in hard times, David lamented to God as his only source of refuge. With David, our words and actions should echo “I love the Lord.”
Our ultimate love is our idol, what we worship. Our priority as Christians should be to ensure that God remains our ultimate love.
What does this practically look like?
1. Bask in God’s love
How do we know God loves us? He showed us through the gospel. The Father gave Jesus, His only begotten Son, to save us from our sins (John 3:16). Jesus displayed love in His willingness to lay His life down (1 John 3:16), and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, a constant reminder of God’s love (Romans 5:5). To prevent our hearts from seeking satisfaction elsewhere, we must fix it on the gospel message. This means doing with the gospel what Moses instructed the Israelites to do with the law:
“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” —Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NLT
Does that seem obsessive? Remember, the options are either to be devoted to God or something else. If we are not saturated with the gospel, God’s love remains an abstract reality. As the cliche goes, we are creatures of habit.
2. Respond to God’s love
After unveiling in detail the amazing realities of the gospel—justification by faith, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, etc—Paul states:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 NIV
There are, indeed, only two ways we can respond to God’s display of love. We could reject it, opting instead to live our way or try to earn salvation. A far better option, however, would be to embrace God’s love and devote ourselves to His covenant relationship. This is worship, to commit to God and His will on earth out of love for Him.
3. Make God the center of our existence
You may have heard the statement, “Put God first”, but then, what comes second, our desires? A far better approach would be to make God the center of everything. Or, more accurately, to acknowledge our new kingdom, under God’s rule, with a new value system and set of ethics. We worship God by honoring Him in everything, including how we treat other humans. Our love for God, flowing from His love, must extend to others as we seek their good.
4. Regular Fellowship
Our favorite worship songs feature in this category. Worship involves a deep intimacy with God through the Holy Spirit, and that comes through regular fellowship. Make as your daily habit the good ol’ prayers, Bible meditation, and singing to God. Fellowship also involves gathering with other believers and communing as a body with God and ourselves. Under fellowship, we approach God with honest petitions, laments, and thanksgiving.
Who do we worship? As followers of Jesus, children of the Father, and temples of the Holy Spirit, our commitment must be to Jesus in all spheres of life. So play your favorite worship playlist on Spotify, but understand where worship begins, and how wide it extends.