worship with a capital W...

A few years ago we went to my daughter’s home and I noticed on her car a W sticker and of course, this meant George W. Bush. You’ve seen them all over and it’s amazing to be able to identify a person with one letter. The highest office in the land has been filled by a man with a full name like anyone else, but is easily recognized by that one letter, W. Oliver Stone even named his movie about George W. Bush, W., and when I looked at the title on the movie list, I knew who it was probably about. W. Of course, there have been times when the W was highly touted and highly thought of my many. And times, like now, when those accolades and accomplishments are mired in controversy and almost hatred. As we now know, the praises come and go like the rain. The love can turn to disgust and malice. The following can turn to folly. Sad, or so it seems. W, once highly thought of as a letter, is now viewed by many as failure. Of course, we don’t know all the truth behind the change, but there was a change about that letter W.

There is another word that is so strong and so purposeful in a believer’s life that it, too, could become a powerful letter, highly thought of and highly respected to the point of making a sticker that just says W. It is the word worship. What is worship in a believer’s life? It IS a believer’s life. We can’t run from it, package it to make it easy, keep it off our car or even out of our home. It is something so strong that it defines who we are and who we are associated with and all who see us see a huge sticker that says W. In this case, we know we are sinners and we will fail even though we strive to follow God’s Word completely. We also know that we will know more about worship today than we did yesterday so our knowledge bank will fill up more and more each day.

What we will be sharing by worshipping our Lord is that worship is a lifestyle, and that lifestyle is centered on growing more and more like Him every day. When we sing, we sing differently because we are singing out of the all-surpassing understanding of growing in a relationship with the Creator of the universe. That relationship is not a passing fancy that diminishes when things aren’t going too good for us and grows when things are going good for us. That relationship, that worship is constantly directed toward God because we love Him, no holds barred, with all our heart. That love is what generates a life of worship so we always trust Him, always hold on to Him and always follow Him no matter what happens. He is our all in all...that is the life of a true worshipper.

In John 4, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well and drives this point home. 21-24 “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming — it has, in fact, come — when what you’re called will not matter and where you to go to worship will not matter. It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself — Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” 25 The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.” 26 “I am He,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”

So! No need to wait any longer. Worship Him! We many times talk about the mark of the beast and what that will mean during the end times. I want to promote the Mark of the Savior for the present. That mark is W. That W won’t let you down. Live a life that is real so that your worship will be real. Are you God’s bumper sticker for worship? You don’t have to wait any longer. He’s here.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren