WORSHIP

I learnt something about worship which I would love to share with you here.

Worship is an act of reverencing God our creator and Father through various means. It could be through songs, prayers, dedication, commitment and many others.

We must note that there is a worship which the father accepts:

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH”

(John 4:23-24)

True worshipers worship the father IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.

WRONG WORSHIPS

There are however ways we should not worship:

Will Worship

“Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world are you subject to ordinances,

(Touch not; taste not; handle not;

Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

(Colossians 2:20-23)

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (Verse 23; NIV)

This is worship not from the heart, but out of compulsion, out of pressure or eye service. Will-worship; you worship when you feel like it, when you think you’ll gain from worship. This is not right.

Vain Worship

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

(Matthew 15:7-9)

Vain worship is another wrong form of worship prevalent. When you lift up your hands in church but your heart is not lifted too, you’re rendering vain worship. When you come to worship God and you’re still keeping malice with that friend or relation of yours, that’s vain worship.

Ignorant Worship

“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

(Acts 17:23)

If you worship whom you don’t know, you’re wasting your time. Before your worship is accepted, you must give your life genuinely to Christ, you must be saved. He must have your name in his book.

Well, how have you been worshiping God? Have you been doing it in Spirit and truth or in error? It’s time to come back to the right worship so we don’t struggle!

Watch out for the next articles on BENEFITS OF WORSHIP!

God Bless You!

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OPERATION G-THOYC

 

OPERATION G-THOYC

Dr Bell was at his wits as his son poured out his heart to him that evening;

“You were never there for me; you only cared about your business and pursuits. You never visited me in the boarding house or at high school. You always called me a fool at every little mistake I made growing up. In fact my name became ‘fool’ at a time. This made me wonder whether you are the one who actually gave birth to me. You always quarreled with Mom and I never experienced perfect peace in this house growing up and now you want to marry an extra wife” he said. 

Dr Bell was really out of speech because to him he had done all he could to bring up his son the right way. He sent him to school, paid his school fees to the university level. He then said out of disappointment and disbelief:

“Hmm! I’m really surprised at this, I thought I was doing my best as a father, I never knew I was being deceived by people around praising me that I was doing great where as my own children needed more than these. Well I’m learning and I plead that you accept me the way I am”

OPERATION GET -THE HEARTS OF YOUR CHILDREN

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6)

“Children, Obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:1-4)

“…thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”(Psalm 23:4c)

Even if I might not support the way Dr Bell’s son poured out his grievances to his father, I believe he had to because ‘his cup was full’. He couldn’t bear the trend anymore, and besides he was of age now and was working. I believe he was provoked and that led to his statement. His father had never heard this probably because his son would have been spanked by him if he ever tried to relay the pains when he was younger.

This short story is something that happens in our generation today. Children must obey their parents because it is right in the Lord and even before man (though some are rebellious and must repent for hell is enlarging herself to receive rebellious children). But many are forgetting the “provoke not your children to wrath” part. You can provoke your children to wrath. Don’t think those bad attitudes you’ve been portraying before your children will fade away from their memories with time. It doesn’t happen that way. When you’re angry and you call your children bad names, it causes scars in their hearts, it reduces their self-esteem. They feel inferior amongst their peers and thereby become vulnerable to evil things that come their way, except for the special intervention of the Lord. Well, I’m not a parent yet, but if Christ tarries I’ll become one someday. I don’t want to make mistakes that have been made. I’m writing this article from the ‘Children’ viewpoint. I could tell you how it feels when a parent calls their child and begin to interrogate him/her keenly; in fact accusing him/her of stealing their money when both the child and God know it’s not true. These little things can create scars which if not controlled can take the hearts of the children away from their parents when they get older. Then the struggle begins; to get their hearts back. Many parents have failed this operation because of pride; I tell you, humility is the key. A child would learn to apologize if he/she have seen their parents do so.

Many adults today find it difficult to apologise at even small matters because they never grew up with such. However every growing child should choose to live right when they discover what is right.

No matter how hurt your children are, a little sincere apology could bring them all back to you. But it’s so unfortunate that we live in an environment where some feel defeated if they apologize. They believe as elder ones, they’re always right no matter what; but it’s not like that. If God was like that, he would not have humbled himself to come fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The worst scar anyone could carry is that of the heart and it’s healed easily, only pride hinders this.

Most times you see children who can’t express themselves where their parents are just because they’re hushed at every single move they make. So they grow up with that inferiority complex feeling that everything they do is wrong (parents should watch their children but not hinder them from feeling comfortable around them). They end up not doing anything, or at most settling for little and less significant things in life (this doesn’t happen in all cases though). Well, as I said I’m writing from the “children” perspective. Maybe when I get married and have children I’ll write from the “parent” point of view. 

Talents, dreams and visions have been killed because the heart of a child was handled roughly or without care. Many children battle through this while growing into adulthood. Some are victorious while some lose. But this war could be reduced or prevented if their hearts are gotten into the right parts early; morally, emotionally and most importantly; spiritually.

God bless us as we remain Ambassadors.

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