Church has often been called a “house of worship.” But I struggle with what that means exactly. Sometimes it’s a house of singing, or a house of preaching, or a house of socializing, but not too often is the primary focus of the gathering people worship.
It seems most of the time worship is something we do at some point during the singing.
Now I will be the first to admit that the atmosphere most conducive to worship is usually created when meaningful—“worshipful”—songs are being played sung. But is that it? Shouldn’t there be something more?
The definition of worship includes:
…a condition of being worthy of honor or renown.
In fact, the Old English spelling was worthship. In other words, the greater the worth something had, the greater the honor or renown that something should be given.
In my case, the Something should have a capital “S.” The Person worthy of greatest honor and highest renown is my God and Savior Jesus Christ.
So why do I have to wait to go to a certain building to express His worth?
Why do I have to wait until the atmosphere is right?
Shouldn’t I be expressing my adoration and honor to Him always?
What does it mean to always be in a place of expressing my worthship?
I’ve been mulling over this quote from Brother Lawrence:
I know that for the right practice of it, the heart must be empty of all other things; because God will possess the heart alone; and as He cannot possess it alone, without emptying it of all besides, so neither can He act there, and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him.
As the Apostle Paul wrote I’m trying to capture every thought during the day and ask myself, “Is this thought taking up space in my heart that should be God’s space? Does this thought draw me closer to my Savior, or further away.” I’m trying to express His worth to me in the way I think about Him throughout the day.
Craig T. Owens 