Worship is intended by God to be deeply and spiritually intimate. It is the intimacy found only in a relationship, not a religion. One of the most revealing words in the New Testament regarding worship is the very word that is quite often translated worship from the original Greek into English―proskuneo (προσκυνεω). This word literally means “to kiss the hand of one toward another.”
In the original cultural context, this was an incredible act of reverence or homage, similar to prostration on the ground. It includes the idea of adoration. What a fitting image of our intimacy and depth of love and respect for God in our actions if worship.
God is a pursuing God and his pursuit of us sets up the possibility of worship in a life of reverential and awesome response to him— a deeply personal and abiding worship that is more important to us than anything else in our lives. Everything we do should be considered worship—our speech, our actions, our attitudes, our vocation, overcoming temptation to sin—everything. Worship is not only from 10:30 to noon on Sundays. That is important, but if we see that as the totality of worship, then our relationship with the Lord is stunted and dysfunctional.
This level of relationship comes from two fundamental activities in our lives―knowing his word and knowing him in prayer. When we spend time in those activities, our relationship with him becomes a precious treasure. It is like falling in love and wanting to be with that person and in their presence.
True worship involves falling in love with God. Everything else follows that.
I pray your walk with him becomes deeper every day.
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23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:23–24 NKJV
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We can come to know Christ through confession of our sins and repentance (turning away from sin). Let me encourage you to do this by talking to God through prayer. Here is an idea of how you might do that:
"Dear God, I believe your son Jesus Christ died in my place on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day following his death. I confess my sins, all of them, to you now with a humble heart. I repent of those sins and ask you to empower me with your Holy Spirit in overcoming further sin. Amen”
If you prayed this or a similar prayer committing your life to Christ and becoming one of his followers, let me encourage you to find a good, Bible-believing church. If you live in the Weslaco/Rio Grand Valley area of Texas, let me invite you to the church I attend, Mid-Valley Assembly (www.midvalleyassembly.com).
Begin talking to God in prayer and reading the Bible daily. A good way to begin to read the Bible is to start with the Book of John in the New Testament.
Feel very free in connecting with me if you need any further help in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. You can do this via the above email or facebook page or this web page. _____________________________________________________________________________
Mercy Road Ministries was founded and now led by Ben Bounds. Ben has pastored churches across Texas for over thirty years and is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). He holds a BA in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God College and did graduate theological studies at the BMA Theological Seminary.
Ben's first book, The Divine Chase: Responding to a Pursuing God, was released on 12.08.2017 through Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. It is available in paperback and hardback through your preferred bookseller (Mardels, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and paperback, hardback as well as ebook through online book retailers (www.christianbook.com, www.cokesbury.com, www.amazon.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, etc.).
Ben is the host of Staying in Bounds, an on-air Bible devotional broadcast multiple times daily on KWJV 103.7 FM Weslaco, TX which can also be heard worldwide online at www.kwjvthestar.com.
Ben and his wife, Linda, together have four adult children and nine grandchildren. They live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Ben can be contacted for preaching engagements at benbounds695@gmail.com or 903.441.3279. Ben can also be contacted via his website @ www.benbounds.com, which is also his blog and contains more information about his ministry.
Follow Ben @ https://www.facebook.com/mercyroadministries/ and this website www.benbounds.com.
©2022 by Ben Bounds. All rights reserved.
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