Digging Deeper: Express Your Faith Through Your Worship
8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 12:8 (ESV)
EXPRESS YOUR FAITH THROUGH YOUR WORSHIP
A church had a man in the choir who couldn’t sing. Others tried to help him find other places of ministry in the church, but he insisted on being in the choir. The choir director became so desperate that he went to the pastor. “Pastor, you have to do something with brother Jones. If you can’t persuade him to leave the choir, then I quit and most of the choir will quit too. Help us!” The pastor went to the man and suggested that he leave the choir. “Why should I leave?” he asked. “Several people have told me you can’t sing,” the pastor replied. “That’s nothing.” he responded. “Fifty have told me you can’t preach and you are still here.” (Source Unknown).
Worship does not depend on your ability to sing well. Worship is how we respond to God’s greatness and how we express our faith in Him. The first evidence of a living faith is a changed life. The second evidence of a living faith is true worship. Twice in this short passage, we are told that Abram built an altar to the LORD. Warren Wiersbe notes that “Wherever Abraham went in the land of Canaan, he was marked by his tent and his altar (Gen. 12:7–8; 13:3–4, 18). The tent marked him as a ‘stranger and pilgrim’ who did not belong to this world (Heb. 11:9–16; 1 Peter 2:11), and the altar marked him as a citizen of heaven who worshiped the true and living God.”
Reflection
One of my favorite definitions of worship is “all that I am rightly responding to all that God is.” Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” What are some ways you worship God with your entire life?
Prayer/Praise
Thank God for all the mercy and love He has shown to you. Take some time to worship God by singing along with some of your favorite worship songs. Offer God your body to be used by Him however He wants.
Dr. Larry Grays is the father of four and lives in the Canton area. Larry consults with churches, schools, city governments, and businesses nationwide. He’s been a member of the NorthStar family for over 20 years.