Sanctified for Worship.

Worship is not an event it is a way of life. Worship is the state of being “in”, as we were created to abide in the sanctuary of God’s great garden.  We were created to live in perfect union and harmony with our Lord God.  Lured into the wisdom of this world, by that snake we call the devil, the first thing that came into the hearts of mankind was the spirit of fear and the feeling of nakedness as sin persecuted the perfect harmony we had with our Heavenly Father.  Sent away from this sacred and holy ground, mankind was not only facing the sting of death, but all the other cares, anxieties, griefs, and hardships that the nature of this world has to offer.  

But Aha! With the curse there was already a plan of salvation as God’s son remained with mankind throughout.  For as it was written: “Thus said the Lord, thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teach thee to profit, which lead thee by the way thou should go” (Is. 48:17).  And in another place our Lord Jesus states: “I am with you always, even onto the end of the world” (Mt. 28:20).  We were never forgotten nor forsaken by our Lord and Father, but nerveless, mankind traveled with the feeling of lonesomeness as we were temporarily severed from our Creator.  

Why? Because mankind lost the “in” factor, but not anymore. Through Christ we found the Way back “in” to the holy grounds of spiritual matrimony;  Alleluia!!  Through His truth and life we have found our way back home. To the sanctuary. Where worship was as much to our nature as breath was to our lives, when we became “a living soul”.

And how do I know this? Because worship is in the divine nature of Christ Himself. By being cleansed by His blood (made righteous) and by the grace of God we were given an avenue to once more come into our Father’s Holy presence.  We do this through the Holy Spirit, also called the “Spirit of Truth”, (see John 14:16,17) for as it is written in red ink: “God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him “in” Spirit and “in” truth”(John 4:24) (quotations mine).

Now let me tell you brothers and sister it takes courage, faith and many times desperation just to come to worship, but when we surrender to the place of “abiding in” we will get the best glimpse of His almost unfathomable glory that lies before us.  But first let us learn what it is to enter into His rest, for Jesus finished the work and His door is wide open. Justified by faith and not by works does not excuse us from the work that is needed to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name” (Ps. 100:4). Work? What are we talking about? The work of faithfulness that is needed to understand what it is to have the joy of the Lord fulfilled in us as we glorify the creator of heaven and earth. There is no better example of this, for Jesus said, “I have finished the work which thou gave me to do”(John 17:4), and understand this: That Jesus joyfully went to the cross, but He wasn’t happy about. In fact, He was asking our heavenly Father if there was another way to save us; although, He already knew what our Father’s will was.

God did not repent because He loves us. There was no other way into His Holy presence but through the blood and sufferings of Christ. Joy comes when we abide in Them and They in us despite the suffering that our outer tabernacle may face and feel. When I read John chapters 14-17 I see the worship of Christ to His and our Heavenly Father.  

Family; all my babbling can be summed up by this next simple sentence- Worship is this: To love, and honor, and abide in the will of They that created us.  

Simple right?  Next chapter of this blog we will discuss how to get into this “state of being.”  I am now going to leave you with this one last thought to ponder. Worship is everything that lies between being in a prostrate position in reverence, to raising our hands up high while making a joyful noise. Again, it is a way of life, for we have been sanctified to house the Spirit of God. Wow! What a honor.

May God bless us and keep us from the evil of this present world. May the love of God keep our hearts full with the melody of being one with Them, In Jesus’ name I pray.  Love you all very much, Rick      

Written by: Rick Porter