Signs of Worship

 DEVOTION

TO HEBREWS

SIGNS OF WORSHIP

Heb 12:28-29

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire."  

NIV                                

Just one more thing that we need to consider after living in the ‘therefore’ and seeing to it that we do not refuse he who speaks. First, we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This is a truth we can live by, being encouraged in our hearts that God has spoken and that is that. We are receiving. That is a promise. Of course, it does depend on the fact that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, that we are in Christ, and he is in us, and that we are living by faith and not by sight. In order words, we are born again Spirit-filled, believers living in faith. Therefore, we are going to get to live in the new city of Jerusalem with God the Father and Jesus the Son, and we would have to believe the Holy  Spirit will also be present, as he is the one who showed John the Holy City that we are receiving and it cannot be shaken. This city, this kingdom is eternal, not like this earth and this heaven or universe. They will be shaken to bits, completely passed away, no more, gone. This is why we should not get too attached to this place or all the things within it. We too are only temporary in some sense in that we are going to lay this body done, leaving everything behind. This body is not eternal as of yet, and thus the whole that we know, everything we see, have, and live will all pass away, but our kingdom will last forever. That is why we have already abdicated our citizenship in the world and received our citizenship in the kingdom of God. Therefore, why would we not be thankful and worship God acceptably with reverence and awe? Everything we are, all that we have, and all that we do is because of the work of God within us. This is that other definition of grace where it is the divine influence on our hearts and how that is reflected in our lives, how we worship him. This begs the question as to how do we worship him? Over the years we have been present in many different congregations and have noticed a varied form of worship, if we could even call it worship. Some people praise God fully and openly with all their being, while others seem to be stone statues. If we are thankful and our worship is acceptable and we worship him with reverence and awe, we would think it would be visible somehow, our faces would be shining with the glory of God, and maybe, just maybe our bodies would show some signs of worship, some sign of being filled with thankfulness, reverence and awe.