“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”
Hebrews 12:28 (NIV)
I am sure we all know how important it is to be thankful. Though there are times when this is more difficult than others, the author of Hebrews reminds us that we will receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken. We are children of God! We are direct heirs to His perfect kingdom! We are part of the kingdom that will ultimately defeat all others and last through eternity! That is something to be thankful for!
I love this. I get this. I understand this. I even understand this is one of the many reasons God is so worthy of our worship.
It’s the next part of the verse that gives me pause…”so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”
Do I do that?
Yes I worship God. But do I do it acceptably? Do I do it with reverence and awe? Do I even fully understand what true reverence and awe is?
The dictionary defines “reverence” as a deep respect for someone or something; and “awe” as a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. Reverence and awe then, encompass a deep respect or regard for the feelings, wishes, rights or traditions of someone, namely God, along with wonder and fear. Does that describe my worship of God?
Honestly? Um, no, not always.
Too often my worship is about how I am feeling and not about God’s feelings. It is on my terms and not on His. I am certainly full of wonder at what He has done and continues to do in me, but do I fear Him? I need to consciously remind myself that my worship is to be a reverential act. It is all about God and showing Him the respect and awe He deserves. And as loving as God is, His wrath is definitely something to be feared.
He may be slow to anger, but continual disrespect, continual disobedience will eventually anger Him. And that is something each of us should be fearful of.
Worship is not about what I get out of it, but what I give to God. My love and my devotion, respect, admiration, obedience, wonder and yes, even fear.
From here on out, my worship will change. I will be thankful for the kingdom I am going to receive and I will worship God acceptably.
I will worship him with reverence and awe.
This was a very thought-provoking post. Thanks so much! Debbie Seiling
Though God created humanity to worship Him and be loved by Him, we are not in any sense needed by Him. Such is this personality of immense power, which does not require the reception of love or adoration. Nonetheless, God desires that others crafted from His hands experience the joy of worship, the loving of His immense power, a personality that the words of all the libraries of humanity could never come to even inaccurately describe Him. The worship of God is nothing (us) receiving from all (I AM). As my mother has reminded me: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Your comment reminds me of Acts 17:24 -25 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything.” He doesn’t “need” us, he just loves us and invites us to worship him. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you for the reminder that it is about God! Not me.
Loree – You’re welcome! It’s a very tough thing to keep in the forefront, I need constant reminders of this!
This spoke to me on so many levels. Somethimes when I’m dissapointed it’s so hard to bring my self to a place of surrender (pride). But I’m reminded that worship has nothing to do with how I feel, it’s all about my Saviour and what He deservs.
Highly Favored – I’m thankful this post spoke to you. Thanks for commenting!
This is a great post. Sometimes I think we- and by we I mean I- view worship as a few songs or so to “get through” until we hear the sermon/etc. And that’s really sad.
Brittany – I’m glad you enjoyed the post! My definition of worship has really started to expand in the last year or two. I think that is an important step!
We are part of the kingdom that will ultimately defeat all others and last through eternity! That is something to be thankful for!
The devil can bark, the earth can tremble but in Jesus, being of God, my life and future are both insured and assured.
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Worship is not about what I get out of it, but what I give to God.
It’s humbling and a thing of joy that God will make us worthy to worship Him; to give to Him Who is in Himself all sufficient. It’s a wonder, a beautiful wonder.
Thank you for these awesome truths Tami. It’s definitely a great and new way to see things.
Buiffe- Thank you for your comment! I love what you said “my life and future are both insured and assured”. Thanks so much for reading!