Today I just wanted to focus on this word. It's literal meaning is 'worth-shape', or 'to give worth'. 'One who is worthy of honour and reverence.' 'To give shape to what is worthy'.
Who are we giving our full attention to? What or who in our lives do we honour and revere? Sometimes we get caught up in what we have to get done, and how our lives look to others. But my fear is that, when we get too concerned about how we look to others - 'do I come across as looking holy enough? Will people know that I have been spending time in prayer/worship by myself?' - these thoughts can take our focus off the One thing that we should be giving attention to! Our whole reason for being in the secret place to begin with. We can have all the right intentions, but if we are continually worried about how we look in others' eyes, we have then started worshiping the thought of a beautiful prayer life, rather than actually having one! And right away, we are giving worth to a thought, not a person.
My prayer is that I would daily bring my focus back to Jesus. That I would tell Him that he is beautiful, that He can have all of my attention and adoration. And I will pour out all of my worship on Him, giving Him my first fruits! This means spending time in worship, pouring out all that you have on Him. We will always be human and have human thoughts and faults. But if we can stop trying to figure out what everyone else thinks about our secret-place worship life, then we will start to see that all that matters is my heart to honour my God. He sees what I bring Him in private, and He blesses that.
It is vital to spend time in the secret place, allowing Jesus to speak to us and work in us. Like any relationship, the more time you spend with your significant other, friend or whoever it may be, the more you get to know them. With God, He already knows us intimately! And we need to spend the time getting to know Him, too. It's true, we will never get to know every aspect of Him - but we have to be willing to try! And if we don't have that passion to know Him - ask!! A regular prayer I like to pray is 'Lord, help me to want to know You more'. This takes our focus off who we aren't, and onto the One we want to be like. I love the scripture in Romans 12:2 that says, 'And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].' This scripture always draws my attention back to what God expects of me. When I am changed from the inside out, I am giving God His worth, because I am allowing Him to do this work in me, which is in His plans for me!
What comes out of this time spent with Him and the work He does in you, is that you are pointing others to the Person of Jesus! You are the temple He dwells in and so when you remember that, others truly see Him in you.
So, what are you giving worth to? I pray we can all give our attention completely to the One who gave us life. The One who is worthy of EVERYTHING we have - give Him His worth. Pour out your oil on Him. Adore Him. Worship Him, alone.
Comments