I can’t seem to shake this topic of worship and it’s relation to loving God with all our heart as stated in The Great Command.  The passage from Mark reads:

“One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’  Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, “HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD YOUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” And the second is this, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”  There is no other commandment greater than these’” (Mark 12:28-31, NASB).

When we love God with ALL our heart, we are brought into a new realm of living a life of worship.  This topic of living a life of worship is one topic that we need to focus on understanding.  I say this because of the reality of what was mentioned in the sixth post on The Great Command of the Kingdom of Heaven being all about worship.  Scripture is full of references to the angelic beings worshiping the Father, and people in heaven worshiping the Son and the Father; heaven is all about worship.  If heaven is our goal (both here on earth and after life on earth), then we must learn how to be worshipers.

Jesus taught on the importance of worshiping our Father God while living on earth.  Jesus stated to the Samaritan woman (someone who knew that the topic of worship of God is of extreme importance), “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24, NASB).  The question remains, what does it mean to worship in spirit and truth?

One thing I can tell you is that this is not simply a statement about what we are to do on Sunday mornings in church.  As a matter of fact, Sunday worship begins on Monday. I will even venture to say that if you are not worshiping God on Monday thru Saturday, then it is impossible for you to worship God on Sunday.  Attempting to worship God on Sunday without worshiping Him as a life-style all week long results in the prophecy of Isaiah being fulfilled again, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.  But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Mark 7:6-7, NASB).

We continue to learn from the seventh chapter of Mark that it is not what enters into a man that defiles him, but that which comes out of man is what can defile him (Mark 7:14-23).  Luke records Jesus’ teaching as being stated “…for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45c, NASB).  Your words can either be uplifting, encouraging, edifying to others and the church, thus resulting in worshiping God (Ephesians 4), or they can be bitter, degrading, and unholy resulting in division of others and the church.  How can someone speak words of hurt or bitterness, greed or envy, or even filthy words or coarse joking on Monday thru Saturday think they can come into church on Sunday and actually worship God in spirit and truth?  This is living a means of honoring God with lip service, with a hardened heart; resulting in an emotional experience on Sunday (or any gathering time).  Please read Jesus’ words given to John to write to the church in Laodicea again in Revelation 3:14-22.

These words can be taken as meant for those who are living crazy evil lives of wickedness, but this is not the case.  This is intended for those who are in the church doing good things; seeking to love on those they come in contact with and those who love the Word of God.  It is for those who have been distracted by ministry, tradition, and/or each other, instead of humbly living a life of worship – in spirit and in truth.  Have those words of “worshiping in spirit and truth” clicked yet?  If we are to “worship in spirit” knowing that “God is spirit,” we must understand that we cannot truly worship God prior to receiving the Holy Spirit.  Also, we cannot receive the Holy Spirit without first learning how to listen to God through prayer.  Getting out of order prohibits true worship, and it results in emotional activities that come and go.  If you’re not understanding what I am writing in this order, then please read my book “Kingdom Living:  The Twelve Gates” to clarify this process.

Loving God with all our hearts is a life-style called a life of worship.  I desire to live a Faith-Full life, in the fullness of His love.