Worship is a gift

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12.30
 
What is worship?  Does it matter to God in which era songs were written, or what instrument accompanies them?  Of course not!  Worship is far more than simply saying or singing noble words to God in a way that might resemble flattery or an attempt to boost his ego.  Worship is about us standing before God without pretence as the people we are, and being open to him.
 
God does not command worship because he is a vain dictator who needs to hear the praises of his people, but rather because he knows that when we turn to him in honesty, we will discover something wonderful about him and be changed by the experience.  He knows that a heart open to worship is a heart that will be completely at peace.
 
Perhaps worship is more for our benefit than for God’s, and what is regarded as a command is in reality a beautiful gift.