AN AUDIENCE OF ONE!

"Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!  Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!"   -Psalms 96:7-9 (ESV)

What is "worship"?   The term comes from a very old English term which actually means "that to which one ascribes worth".  Whatever one considers the most valuable is what one worships.  Unlike the pagans of Bible times who made statue idols out of wood, stone or clay modern man strives to relish in his creativity.  We tend to fashion idols out of more trendy ideas or materialistic possessions.  Some highly value profit, power, popularity, pleasure or any combination of these.  Truth be known, we are all probably guilty of ascribing the highest value to more than one item.  Going back to our definition of worship above that would make us guilty of polytheism (worship of multiple gods).  

The Lord God who created heaven and earth is a jealous God.   It is no accident that the first two of the famous ten commandments show where God stands when it comes to our worship.  As Christians we need to understand that our worship, and all that entails, is for an audience of one.  Our praise, thanksgiving, the songs we sing and how we sing them are not done to impress other people but to show the Lord our true heart of gratitude and awe for who He is and what He has done for us. 

So, what is it that you ascribe the most worth to?   What do you truly treasure above all?  In this world we are bombarded to juggle many priorities and in the midst of doing so our priorities may be out of alignment. A questions all must consider is "What is the meaning of life?"  Your answer lies where your investment of time, energy and resources may be.  I contend that if God is not in the equation then you have discounted the value of life itself.  Worldliness inherently means a investment in the temporal things that will fade away and be remembered no more.  When you truly ascribe the honor and glory due to the Lord, and worship an audience of one, you will find life.  This was your original design and will bring more meaning, purpose and fulfillment.  

Eternal will always out value temporal. Worship is a matter of the heart.  So the questions is, "Where is your heart"?