When you Strip everything away what is worship?

My friend Barb recently sent me a link to this http://www.wonderfulpages.com/wonderfulworship/ blog where they are participating in a discussion on worship. I found it very interesting and so decided to join the discussion and share my thoughts.

The best way I can think of to answer this question is to share my definition of worship. Recently I've done some fantastic reading which has helped me to come to grips with what I think worship is. So, in Heerebout's Dictionary, Worship is "The act and attitude of wholeheartedly and continuously giving yourself to something - body, soul, mind and spirit".

The first thing you may ask is something? Yes...everyone worships but not everyone worships God. Everyone has something that envelops the greater majority of their attention but for most of the world that thing is not God. Sometimes it's our career, or a favorite celebrity or our hobby. For Christians, I hope, it's God but by biblical standards someone who is not a Christian and not worship God.

Also of note is this idea of continuously...we are always worshiping something. Again, often it's not God and even in the life of the believer it's sometimes not God...when we choose to disobey God we've shifted our focus of worship, if only for a moment, towards something else. We've given ourselves to that thing instead of to God.

When I say act and attitude it's to point out that worship is not complete without both. When God asks for worship in the bible he ALWAYS asks for action to be involved. I believe that when we understand something to the point that we are truly worshiping it not only to we think or say we worship that thing but our actions come along side our speech to prove we are worshiping.

And linked to this is the wholehearted and body, soul, mind and strenght. I know when I get interested in something it can often envelope my whole being. I want a new amp or guitar and I surf the 'net endlessly until I find it. When we are truly gripped and worshiping God this is what it's like...our whole attention is gladly and fully given to God. Truly, when I am worshiping, everything else is stripped down and only God's love for me and my love for Him remains.

texts: Romans 12:1, Mark 12:30, The Adventure of Worship by Gerrit Gustafson, and Unceasing Worship by Harold M. Best.