{ living to bring Him praise }

'Worship is not an event to attend and watch. It is a lifestyle to be lived.'

That quote couldn't be more true. Lately I've been thinking a lot about worship, and how different our lives would be if we lived and breathed worship. Worship is not something we do routinely before the pastor rises to preach on the pulpit - week after week, petty lip service. Doesn't our King deserve more than that? The answer is yes. He deserves every ounce of praise we have left in our bodies. We should be worshipping Him until our frail flesh is weekened to point where we have no choice but to fall to our knees. And I can guarantee we are not giving Him that. Now im not here to judge. I am guilty, on several accounts, of lip service. But see, thats just the issue- we are all guilty of it, yet it seems we are not doing anything about it. Our worship is lacking substance, lacking the Spirit.

Isaiah 6 is one of my favorite and, what I think to be, one of the most powerful chapters in all of Scripture. It is the perfect representation of what our worship should be. "And they were calling to one another:'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke." {Isaiah 6:3-4} Their worship was so intense and so REAL that the doorposts and thresholds shook. Just take a moment to picture that. Incredible, eh? I emphasize the word real because God knows your heart. He knows if you are sincere, or if you are 'worshipping' to bring glory to yourself. Often times I feel as though we praise God, saying, "Look at me, God. See how passionate my worship is? See how I am lifting my hands up to you? I'm such a great Christian!". We worship as if it is about us. Is that really what our worship has come to? OUR preferences, OUR likes, OUR praise for ourselves. THAT is not worship, that is pride. "'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'" {Isaiah 6:5} Raw worship means laying down our earthly pride, letting ourselves become completely broken. Humbling our sinful bodies at the cross. Singing until the whole earth hears. Worshiping with such intensity that the doorposts and thresholds SHAKE- letting the weight of God's glory crush us in the most beautiful way. Worship needs to BE our lives, our every breathe - living to bring the King of all nations the glory He so rightly deserves.

{rachel}

:: Favorite worship music at the moment? Bethel Music 'Loft Sessions'. This stuff is powerful! "You have won me", "Walk in the promise" and "Come to me" are some of my favorites - can't get enough!! ::