LOVE—SERVE—WORSHIP — SAY IT WITH JOY

Not too long ago, as I was praying, the Lord spoke three words to me: LOVE—SERVE—WORSHIP. When I inquired of the Lord His reason for giving me those three words, He responded, “I desire that My Church would love, serve, and worship Me instead of the world in which they live.”

LOVE:
There are seven distinct Greek Words which describe the different forms of Love.

1. Eros: romantic, passionate love.

2. Philia: intimate, authentic friendship.

3. Ludus: playful, flirtatious love.

4. Storge: unconditional, familial love.

5. Philautia: self-love

6. Pragma: committed, companionate love.

7. Agápe: empathetic, highest form of love.

The biblical definition of God’s love is Agápe. "God is love; and He who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him" (I John 4:8). For "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever would believe in Him would have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The New Testament expresses God's love for humanity as Agape, which identifies His very nature and perfect love for us, because “God is love” (I John 4:8). Everything He does comes from His love. Agape is also used to describe human love for God. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Eros, philia, ludus, storge, philautia and pragma are all forms of love most sought after in today’s world. Conversely, agape love is the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as humans’ reciprocal love for God and each other. That love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. It does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (I Corinthians 13:4-8).

SERVE:

Serving is to work for; to be in service of; to obey; to help, assist, aid; and to make a contribution to someone or something. What then does it mean to serve God? Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him (John 12:26).

Serving God means to do His will and that includes obedience to what He calls us to do. It is not enough to acknowledge there is a God. We must do what God commands us to do. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” For “…we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” (John 10:27; Psalm 95:7).

Serving also means serving others in the name of the Lord. We do that in our faithful giving of tithes, which allows the church to function as well as giving offerings to missions for spreading the gospel. Using our time and talents through volunteer work, or helping a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a stranger and praying for others all honor God. If we see a need that God calls us to meet, then we should be obedient in following His direction. “For God is working in [us], giving [us] the desire and the power to do what pleases Him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

WORSHIP:

What does God say about worship? The New Testament Greek word for “worship is proskuneo, which means “bow down.” Worship is an attitude of the heart. It is an internal action that is expressed at any time or place. It is an attitude of gratitude, no matter the circumstances. Without the Holy Spirit residing within us, we cannot respond to God in worship because we do not really know Him. “No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (I Corinthians 2:11). It is the HolySpirit within us who energizes us to worship God.

True worship requires a pure heart that is open, repentant, and seeks God. Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24 NIV).

King David’s heart was filled with guilt over his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). His sin and guilt made it impossible to worship, and feeling God’s hand heavy upon him, he “groaned all day long,” (Psalm 32:3-4). It was not until he confessed his sins with a broken spirit and a contrite heart, that God restored fellowship and ability to worship and praise Him (Psalm 51:17). True praise and worship of God cannot come from a heart that holds unconfessed sin.

We worship through songs of praise, so what is praise? It is defined as expressing admiration for, applauding, paying tribute, and speaking highly of. That is what we are to do as worshippers of God. Praise recognizes His virtues and who He is. Singing to the Lord becomes our praise.

We, as God’s people are called to come and sing to the Lord, making a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation! We are invited to come into His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Psalm 95:1-6 ESV)

The apostle Paul wrote: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16). We are further encouraged to “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in [our] hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ making melody in [our hearts] to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

We find in God’s Word, a constant chorus calling us to praise and worship our God. “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds;praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:1-6).

“Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared (reverenced) above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens” (Psalm 96:2-9 ESV).

We also worship God in giving thanks. We thank Him for His hand upon us and for sending Jesus to be an appropriation for our sins. We profess our profound gratitude for His provision and all the things that has He has done and continues to do for us. That expression of gratitude is shown when we lift our voices in song to Him and our prayers and conversations with Him.

We live in very different and difficult times that daily present new challenges. Some people may ask, “What is there to praise and thank God for? The world is in a mess and things just seem to be getting worse.” Though it might seem counterintuitive to praise and thank God, I have found in my own life that when I turn to Him and praise and worship Him, that is when I find peace, comfort, and an internal joy. The world cannot offer us the peace and joy that we long for. However, we can find peace in our souls when we worship and praise God who knows us intimately and is the One who can calm our anxious hearts.

PRAYER: FATHER, Help me to place my worries and concerns into Your capable hands. Teach me how to praise and worship You in a way that honors You and brings joy and peace to my heart. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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