This semester for school I am doing two Old Testament survey classes. I have been reading through the first half of the Old Testament & reading a couple of textbooks that offer comments and information on that biblical reading. Last week, I was reading through the textbook portion dealing with the book of Numbers. I read this at the end of one of the paragraphs dealing with Numbers 7:1-10:10 and the offerings the tribal leaders were bringing for the tabernacle.
Worship is more than handing God a gratuity.
Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Pentateuch, p. 314 (Kindle)
My wife used to work as a waitress at a couple of different restaurants when we were first married. She’d come home, tell me about her day, and occasionally tell me about the tips people had given her. We laugh now as she recalls one table asking for change for a nickel for their tip. She’s often told me not to be stingy on the gratuity for our meal. I can remember times in my past just laying the last couple of dollars I had for a tip rather than actually calculating it. I’ve since changed and for the better because of my wife and her experiences.
There’s much confusion about this subject of worship. Some define it as a service we attend on a Sunday morning. Others see it as the songs that we sing during that service. While those elements are certainly part of it, worship involves more. And if we restrict it to only those elements, it is easy to “worship” God without much effort, like taking the last couple of dollars out of my wallet, giving him the left overs or the minimum.
The Apostle Paul defines worship for us very differently though. He uses a different word than perhaps we normally think of: LIFE. Here’s what he says:
Therefore I exhort you, brothers & sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, & pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1 NET
Worship to God is giving our lives unto the Lord – our whole life. As you read this, it may produce some reluctance in you. That’s a lot after all. Our whole life is a lot more than twenty minutes of singing. I have heard some immediately, passionately commit like Peter in Matthew 26 only to quickly falter later. As we’ve joked here at GBC on different occasions – the problem with living sacrifices is that they walk off the altar.
This was the thought that was hitting me as I read that quote. As believers, we are called to give our entire self in service to the Lord. This is our worship to God. This does not necessarily mean that we’ll be called to some remote jungle village as a missionary, though it may. Either way though, the motivation is the same: God’s redemption of us through the blood of Christ, he is working everything our for our good, and we have a secure future in Christ awaiting us either beyond the grave or when the trumpet sounds to name a few.
Our service to the Lord should not be some half-hearted commitment or the left-overs. It isn’t just a quick few bucks on the table & a “thanks for saving me”. We were created to enjoy God. And our lives, completely surrendered to him as an act of worship is the place that we find that ultimate and fulfilling enjoyment. You will stumble. Your commitment will falter from time to time, but we praise the Lord for his faithfulness to us in spite of our unfaithfulness. He will continue the good work he has started (Phil 1:6) & we have his Spirit as a guarantee of that (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:14). “Worship is more than handing God a gratuity.” It’s giving our whole self to him as a living sacrifice.