Sometimes, to get a better feel and understanding for what something is, it can be helpful to look at what it isn’t. Given the importance of worship to us as Christians, and the necessity that we understand what it is, let’s take a moment to look at what it isn’t:
- Selfish. Worship isn’t about us. Rather, worship is all about God.
- Confined. Worship isn’t confined to the church building, or to a specific day. God can (and should) be worshiped everywhere, and every day.
- Fake. God is worthy of being worshiped sincerely. We want to be those who are the “true” worshipers who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23)
- Music. Music is an expression of worship, and a means to it, but it’s not worship in and of itself. Worship goes well beyond music.
- Prideful. When we worship God, we humble ourselves before Him in reverence and adoration.
- Stale. Worship should always be fresh, creative, and inventive. In worship, we respond to God’s nature. The way we worship Him should be a reflection His nature (and our knowledge of the fullness of it).
- Subtle. Worship is declaring, with our lips and lives, that God is more important to us than anything else. He is our deepest desire, and His inherent worth goes beyond everything else we hold dear. This is not something to be hidden or professed reservedly.