"Worship describes those times we gather deliberately seeking to encounter God in Christ...it is devotion and celebration expressing our love of God."
"God uses worship to transform lives, heal wounded souls, renew hope, shape decisions, provoke change, inspire compassion, and bind people to one another."
PASSIONATE Worship.
"Passionate expresses an intense desire, an ardent spirit, strong feelings, and the sense of heightened importance."
--Quotes from our series' devotional book, Cultivating Fruitfulness, by Robert Schnase.
I don't know about you, but I've found that for me there is a huge difference between entering into times of worship with an intention to be passionate and entering into times of worship just out of routine, or interest, or a 'this better give me something good' mindset. Think of the possibilities intentional worship brings when we are willing ourselves to be attentive to the presence and voice of God and are whole-heartedly expressing our love for God in our prayer, singing--even in our listening to the announcements and messages! It's as if we then are turning our glass right-side up in anticipation of God pouring into it life-giving water.
What do you do to help yourself focus in worship?
What experiences have taught you more about worship and about how you can and should worship?
Our devotional raises the interesting question--"what is your earliest positive memory of worship?"
For me, I have to literally say to myself in my head, 'focus, focus, ignore everything else, listen to God" and then say in my mind, "Jesus, I love you, I worship you, I'm listening..."
What about you?
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