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Worship God for Who He Is

The Joy of an Offering Accepted by God

Back when Cain and Abel were offering their sacrifices to God, their only desire was that their offering would be acceptable. Cain was so jealous that Abel’s was accepted and his wasn’t, that it led to the first fratricide.

When Aaron first performed offerings in the newly-built tabernacle, fire came out from the presence of the Lord, and the Bible says: ‘when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.’

There was joy at the thought that their offering had been accepted by God.

How often during worship do we focus on simply making an offering that’s acceptable to God?

How often during worship do we focus on simply making an offering that’s acceptable to God? And how often are we rather focused on hearing Him, or receiving from Him?

In Psalm 19, David says, ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ His focus was on presenting to God what was acceptable.

In Judges 6, Gideon says to the angel, ‘If now I have found favour in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speaks with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.’ The marvelous sign Gideon wanted was not something from God, but that his offering would be accepted by God.

Would we ask that kind of a sign from God? Or would we be more likely to ask Him to give us something? Would we rather hear Him speak or act in some way?


Worship is An End In Itself

To worship God is beautiful. That God receives our adoration should be reward enough.

For every church leader and every one of us in the congregation, remember: worship is an offering to God, made acceptable by faith.

For every musician on stage, and every sound guy or AV person sitting at the back of the hall, remember: whatever we do, it is an offering to God, made acceptable by faith. Especially for sound and AV teams, who are normally the first to get the hairy eyeball when something doesn’t work, remember: it is an offering to God, made acceptable by faith!

And not just our sung worship, but in everything, ‘… whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ (1 Corinthians 10:31)


Worship Him for Who He Is, Not What He’s Got

As a father, I know when my boys try to please me because they want something, and when they try to please me just because I’m their dad. In both instances, I can delight in them, but there is something more pure when they come without an agenda. It is the same with God.

When we worship God, we will encounter Him. We will find joy in His presence. At His right hand there are pleasures forever. At His throne of grace, there is help in our time of need. But let not these things alone be what motivates us.

Adam is married to Vanessa, and they have two sons. For many years he served as an elder in Joshua Generation Church, South Africa. In 2023, he and his family moved to Adelaide, where he now serves as an elder in Impact Church. Adam’s particular passions are teaching and worship. Follow him on his blog.

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