Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

The planned post for the next three days were inspired yesterday by songs the Holy Spirit placed in my spirit.

Today’s scripture, Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV) instructs…
[10] “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Consider…
As stated above, today’s post was inspired by today’s song. The Holy Spirit emphasized the need to worship God for who He is!

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NLT) declares to God’s chosen people…
[4] “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. [5] And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

One quick note, notice it says the LORD alone is our God, not the LORD is our God. Part of worshipping God for He is is recognizing He is simply God all by Himself.

God personally affirmed this in Isaiah 44:6-8 (ERV)…
[6] The LORD is the king of Israel. The LORD All-Powerful is the one who will set Israel free. And he says, “I am the only God. There are no other gods. I am the Beginning and the End. [7] There is no other God like me. If there is, that god should speak now. Let him lay out everything he has done since the time I made these ancient people. Let him show me the signs he gave long ago that prove he knew what would happen in the future. [8] “Don’t be afraid! Don’t worry. I am the one who always told you what would happen. You are my proof. There is no other God; I am the only one. There is no other ‘Rock’; I know I am the only one.”

True worship begins with full recognition that the LORD is God alone.

That hits play on Pastor Marvin Sapp singing…

There’s no question of Your greatness
No searching of Your power
All the wonder of Your glory
To You forty years is but one hour
Your knowledge is all encompassing
To Your wisdom there is no end
For You alone are God
You are God alone

Your mercy is everlasting
Your truth is here always
You are He who was and is, and is to come
Who is He that can number you day
You’ve flung the sun to burn in space
And the night’s moon powers light from day
You are God alone

Now unto the King
Eternal, immortal, invisible
The only wise God
The only wise God
You alone are God
For You are God alone

Along the same lines of recognizing the Sovereignty of God is recognizing who Jesus is.

Matthew 16:13-17 (NLT) shares a dialogue that I believe Jesus is still having with us internally…
[13] When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” [14] “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” [15] Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” [16] Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” [17] Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

I have normally focused on Peter’s confession and Jesus’ confirmation, yet this morning the Holy Spirit focused my attention on Jesus’ two questions…

• Who do others say I am
• Who do you say that I am

I found it interesting that multiple disciples spoke up about who other people said Jesus is, but only the impetuous Peter declared Him to be Son of the living God!

Sadly, I believe many people only know Jesus based on who others say He is, rather than knowing for themselves that He is the Son of the living God, who by the way is God alone!

That made me hear Donald Lawrence singing, during this season of meditating on the birth of Christ…

Sweet little Jesus boy, lying in a manger
Sweet little Holy child, we didn’t know who you were
Long time ago, they laid you in a manger
Long time ago, we didn’t know who you were
Didn’t know you could save us Lord
And wash our sins away
Our eyes were blind, we couldn’t see

We didn’t know you Jesus
We didn’t know forgive us
We didn’t know, who you were
We didn’t know, who you
Lord that you could save us
We didn’t know, we didn’t know
Didn’t know that you could raise us
We didn’t know, we didn’t know
Didn’t know that you could heal us
We didn’t know, we didn’t know
Didn’t know that you could deliver us
We didn’t know, we didn’t know

We didn’t know, you Jesus
We didn’t know, forgive us
We didn’t know, you Jesus
We didn’t know, forgive us

This Christmas don’t miss the presence of God looking for presents from Him or others.

Alas, despite Peter’s Spirit led confession, we know the disciples, like many of us, still didn’t fully grasp who Jesus is.

We know that because John 14:7-11 (NLT) shares another revealing dialogue…
[7] If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” [8] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” [9] Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? [10] Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. [11] Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

True worship recognizes Jesus is not only the Son of God, He is also the LORD God alone that spoke through His prophet Isaiah!

If you’re still not convinced, look closely at Jesus’ self proclamation in John 8:56-58 (NLT)…
[56] Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” [57] The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” [58] Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!”

Jesus proclaiming Himself to be I AM is a direct reference to Exodus 3:14 NLT
[14] God replied to Moses, “I AM Who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.”

This is key, because emphasized something that I overlooked in Jesus’ confirmation of Peter’s earlier testimony. Jesus said…
my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

This takes me back to the past two days of focusing on genuinely worshipping God “in Spirit and in truth”, which simply means being led by His Spirit to worship God for who He says He is!

As I searched scripture for today, I found myself wrestling with what worship really means. A Google search returned…

Worship means showing reverence, adoration, and honor to someone or something considered sacred or worthy of the highest regard. This can involve acts of devotion like prayer, singing, or acts of service, and originates from the Old English word weorthscripe, meaning “worthiness” or “acknowledgment of worth”.

How worship is expressed

• Spoken praise: This includes verbal expressions of praise, thanks, and testimony.
• Singing and music: Using musical and artistic expression to communicate devotion.
• Acts of service: Demonstrating love and reverence for God through selfless service and sacrifice for others.
• Giving: Offering one’s money (like tithing) and time to religious or spiritual work.
• Physical acts: Expressing joy, reverence, or submission through physical movements like raising hands, kneeling, or dancing.
• Quiet contemplation: Spending quiet time in reflection, meditation, or appreciating what is considered sacred, such as nature or a divine presence.

That led me to ponder further, what does it mean to worship God. Another Google search returned…

To worship God is to show deep respect and devotion, which involves a sincere, heartfelt reverence for God’s greatness and power. It is more than just outward actions; true worship is a state of the heart that leads to actions like prayer, singing, and service, motivated by genuine love and an honest desire to please God.

Key aspects of worshipping God

• Honoring God’s worth: Worship means recognizing and honoring God’s supreme value and perfection. It’s about acknowledging that God alone is worthy of our highest devotion.
• Giving your heart: The most important component of worship is the heart’s sincere love for God. Actions like prayer or singing can be meaningless if they aren’t motivated by genuine love and a desire for a personal relationship with Him.
• Following God’s Word: Worshipping in truth means being honest and sincere in your faith, following God’s will as revealed in scripture, and not just going through the motions or following human traditions that are not from the heart.
• Living in obedience: Worship is a comprehensive concept that extends beyond religious rituals to include a life of obedience and devotion to God. This can mean living in a way that reflects God’s values in your daily life.
• Worshiping in spirit: This means worshipping God from the deepest part of your being, with sincerity and honesty. It involves connecting with God from your spirit and following His leading.
• Engaging in various practices: Worship can take many forms, including prayer, singing, reading scripture, acts of service, and meditating on nature. These are ways to express the internal devotion that comes from the heart.

The Holy Spirit showed me worship isn’t a singular definition, rather it’s a comprehensive expression of love and adoration for God.

That makes me hear Forever Jones sing…

There’s a voice that cries out in the silence
Searching for a heart that will love Him
Longing for a child that will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all

And there’s a God that walks over the earth
He’s searching for a heart that is desperate
And longing for a child
That will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all

And He says love me, love me with your whole heart
He wants it all today
Serve Me, serve Me with your life now
He wants it all today
Bow down, let go of your idols
He wants it all today
He wants it all today
He wants it all today
He wants it all

I like the key aspects of worship that AI Overview explained. I also think there’s value in seeing them listed succinctly…

• Honoring God’s worth, by
• Giving your heart, to Him and
• Following God’s Word, and
• Living in obedience, to Him which is
• Worshiping in spirit, and leads us in
• Engaging in various practices, that are
• Honoring God’s worth.

Everything the Holy Spirit showed me to this point led me to look for a Psalm of worship. The Holy Spirit led me to Psalms 95:1-7 (NKJV), which has the superscription, ‘A Call to Worship and Obedience’…
[1] Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. [2] Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. [3] For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. [4] In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. [5] The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. [6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. [7] For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:

Let’s make a point of honoring God’s worth today.

Indeed let’s heed these lyrics of a hymn that says…

So forget about yourself,
concentrate on Him
and worship Christ .

So forget about yourself,
concentrate on Him
and worship Christ .

So forget about yourself,
concentrate on Him
and worship Christ our Lord.

Worship Him,
Christ Our Lord.

Also like the lyrics of a Maverick City song exhorts…

And let there never be a day
That I don’t rise to bring You praise
Hallelujah, oh, hallelujah
Be praised

Be praised
Be praised (Oh)
Be praised (You’re so good, God)
Be praised (For Your faithfulness)
Be praised (Oh)
Be praised (Forever)
Forever and always

Let’s worship the LORD daily by acknowledging (in what we think, say and do), that He is the LORD God alone, because He says He is!

Today’s song is…
Because Of Who You Are

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)