According to our DVD series on "What Is Worship," worship is...
- The ascription of ultimate value and worth (the reason)
- To a person, place or thing (the object)
- By the focusing of all activities of the human spectrum (the actions)
- On that object's value and honor (the result)
How we worship pivots around the reality that we are crated in God's image.
Last night I heard a young lady sing in our local coffee shop. She sang that if God was made in our image, he couldn't be trusted. Thankfully, we are made in His image, not He in our image.
So... as we worship God by focusing all our activities on God how does that affect life?
Changing the subject... In my personal "worship time" I am reading through Ecclesiastes. I admit there are some 'proverbs' in chp. 7 that I wrestle with.
Vs. 3 "Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart." Surely the author is not advocating a morbid life!?! Is it true then, that we should walk around with long faces rather than cheerful ones? What about Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."?
How about Eccl. 7:10 "Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions." Is this verse suggesting that we should not reflect on the past and learn from it? Often I hear people talk of the 'good old days.' I would like to know, why were they good? Were the Israelites not instructed to erect monuments which would provoke their children to ask so they could tell them about the 'good old days' when God accomplished the miraculous?
What do you think?
2 comments:
I would tend to think that allowing ourselves the luxury of feeling crummy sometimes is actually healthy. Most of us have been through times when it just feels great to cry, scream, blow off some steam with intense exercise - it really is a relief. However, in the context of all of scripture, making that the norm is rather morbid and nowhere near the abundant life that God offers. We don't know the circumstances under which the "sorrow is better" statement was made, but I would tend to think it was during a time of intense emotion. God gave him/us permission to be real. A crushed spirit, on the other hand, is more long term. It's deadly. God gives life and laughter. "Joy comes in the morning."
The old days? We've all heard that sentiment. "Why can't we just sing hymns?" "Why can't things just slow down?" "Why can't things be like they were when I was young and nothing creaked and I could actually keep up with life?" Remember the past, but accept the present. That would appear to be the context of all of scripture.
Makes me feel good about being sad and confused... :D
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