Luke 7:36-38 NLT
“One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.”

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Jesus was invited to Simon’s house for dinner, which also happens to be the place where the woman who became the main character of this story arrived. To everyone else, she was unworthy because of the sinful and immoral life she had led up to that point. They thought her past would make it impossible for her to be near to Jesus. But despite her condition, her life of sin, or the arguments she had against her, she was determined to go to this house and offer Jesus this very expensive perfume in an act of surrender.

When we are willing to surrender our lives to Jesus and give Him everything we are and represent, we are pouring out the best perfume with the best fragrance: our worship.

LET’S GO DEEPER

1. WHAT IS WORSHIP?

Worship is very important in the life of every believer. When we talk about worship, most Christians reference their church service and the songs they sing during the worship set. But we need to understand that worship is much more than a music genre. Worship is an attitude of the heart, a heart that can completely surrender every area of its life to adopt God’s holy nature as its own. Just like the woman poured out that very expensive perfume at Jesus´ feet, we need to go and kneel at His feet with an attitude of repentance recognizing that we have sinned. But, His presence is our safe place; there is no condemnation in His presence and it’s where the blood of Jesus can erase our every fault, sin or wickedness.

You can’t explain God’s holiness, neither can you define it, it can only be revealed. Many Christians think that holiness is a set of rules about where to go, what to do, how to talk, and even how to dress. Holiness is not a list of things that are prohibited and others that are allowed. Holiness is the essence of who God is. Everything about the Lord is holy, so to understand holiness we must first understand who God is. Let’s recall a few characteristics of God’s nature: He is light, love, He is righteousness and judgment, He is compassion and mercy, grace and power.

When we have communion with God in prayer and through His Word, we can better understand His nature and who He is.

2. WHO DO WE WORSHIP?

Revelation 5:12-13
Saying with a loud voice:“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

The only One who is worthy of our praise on earth and in heaven is Jesus who gave His life to redeem mankind.

In the Old Testament, the purpose of sacrificing animals was that an innocent life would pay for the faults of a sinner’s life. But all of this was a mere prototype of the blood of Jesus, who became the Lamb of God and came to take away the sin of the world. Jesus took our place and offered His own life for our redemption. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, put on the human nature, gave His life as He poured out the last drop of blood from His body and died in our place.

Has anyone ever given their life for yours? Or is there anyone willing to do so as many times is necessary? Jesus has proved the greatest love for mankind, that while we were still sinners He gave His life so we could have a new one.

Jesus is the One who overcame death, ascended, and sat at the right hand of the Father. Let us worship the One who is seated on the throne of grace.

3. BENEFITS OF WORSHIP

When we have an attitude of worship we can hear God’s voice clearly. One of the most essential things in worship is to focus on the Lord; focusing on Him rather than on ourselves or the circumstances so that our spirit can become one with His.

Reading the Bible isn’t enough because in order to follow His voice we need to hear it. Worship is the perfect way to have the right attitude and enjoy a relationship with God where we hear His voice, understand what He’s saying and obey.

There is another important benefit when we worship, and that is we enter into His rest. Only those who know how to truly worship can enjoy His peace that surpasses all understanding. They are the ones who rest in God’s divine promises and experience true joy which is only given by the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER

● It’s important to have a time to just worship. Choose a song to sing together that will open the heavens where you are.
● Teach them how to have an attitude of reverence and surrender. Guide everyone to get on their knees and cry out for the presence of God as you all present your lives before Him.
● In an attitude of repentance, lead every person to acknowledge their sin, weaknesses and those things that have distanced them from the love of God. It’s important you guide them in applying the blood that Jesus shed from His wounded body that erases all sin and wickedness.
● Ask forgiveness if anything has taken away God’s glory or honor, and ask Him to give everyone the heart of the true worshiper.
● Ask God to be able to hear and obey His voice from this moment on, and that the fruit of your life of worship would be the peace that surpasses all understanding.