Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 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: (Psalms 95:6-7)

This Psalm belongs among the great praise psalms. Each of them offer reasons for praising Jehovah.  Each Psalm includes important features of successful worship:  singing, thanksgiving, joy, and reverence.

Oh come, let us worship.  Our English word “worship” means honor paid to worth- i.e. “worth-ship”.  The Hebrew word means to fall or prostrate oneself.  This humble attitude is noted by the posture commanded here: Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.  Here is an acknowledgment of dependence on God, recognition of our unworthiness, and adoration of God’s majesty.  

Oh come, let us worship.  Here is a call to cooperate worship.  Worship must foremost be directed toward one’s communion with God.  However, worship also has an important horizontal element.  (Ephesians 5:19)  It is a great blessing for God’s people to share in their joy and affection for Him.

There are numerous reasons for which God is worthy of worship.  However, here the Psalmist brings it to a personal level.  Let uskneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God.  Jehovah not only made us but redeemed us and gave us the privilege of being his people.  We are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.

Because of Christ, this takes on a more special significance.  Heaven’s access to God is through the blood of Jesus.  Through Jesus, we can draw near to God in boldness, and by the spirit of sonship we can say “Abba Father”.  These rich blessings should cause us to break forth in praise to God, extolling his name!  (Ephesians 1:3)

Worship is not only a duty but also a privilege. 

By George Slover   
 

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Luke 3:8)

John, the Baptist, prophet of the Highest, was an extremely eccentric man.  He did not minister in the temple or synagogue, but in the solitude of nature.  His clothing does not include robes and fringes, but skins of a camel.  Yet, multitudes came to hear his message - "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2)  

The words of John upset the Jews who believed they enjoyed God’s special favor simply because they were of the lineage of Abraham.  In God’s court, it is the character and not genealogy that counts.  

Repentance is not a popular Bible topic.  Folks want to hear about faith and love, but when repentance is proclaimed there is no middle ground.  Some reject resulting in condemnation.  Others are convicted to salvation.  The sinner’s only way to God is a change of heart that loathes sin’s ugliness and yearns for God’s holiness.

True repentance will manifest itself in proper behavior.  Those who were “rich” were to share with those who had nothing.  The tax collector must learn to be honest and just.  Soldiers were to be civil.  If sorrow for sin is genuine, it will cause one to immediately work on changing his lifestyle.

John was one the world’s greatest preachers.  He was clear and precise.  He demanded action. His message could not be ignored.  He did not pontificate in the realm of generalities and subtleties, but in decisive living.

If one is truly convicted through genuine repentance, and in baptism gives their life to Jesus, the sinner will come out of the water to a new and living way. (Acts 2:38)  What about you?

By George Slover

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:10-11)

It would be difficult to find a more intense expression of devotion in all of the Old Testament than the one above.  To prefer a day in God’s court over a thousand elsewhere would be considered a strange desire to many.  Few would sympathize with such a fanatic.  Even good people might relegate such an expression to a madman!  The language here is an expression of one who greatly delights in God.  

What is the source of his joyful devotion?  First, there is the joy of praise. “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. (Psalms 34:1) Second, there is the joy of communion with God.   “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”. (Psalms 23:1)  Third, there is the joy of fellowship with God’s people- the common prayer, the harmonious praise, and the sharing of a common salvation.  Fourth, there is the joy of service- the privilege of opening the door of God’s kingdom as a refuge to the lost, and a place of consolation for believers.

Unfortunately, there are others who would deem such service as “weariness”. (Malachi 1:13)  To them, a sense of duty exceeds a sense of privilege, and obedience means constraint rather than joy!  Joyless service is neither profitable nor acceptable.  What a disappointment to the Father when his children take no delight in drawing near to him!

Here is a challenge for you the reader.  Which truly brings delight?  Which truly has your heart’s devotion?  Is it God’s service or the world?

By George Slover

By George Sl

By George Slover    |    Visit www.smcofc.org or www.ibiblestudy.net

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