Our love for God is expressed through worship [our humble submission to his will for our lives], as well as mission [our deliberate choice to love others the way Christ loves us]. Yet, worship is not WHAT we do, it is WHO we are before God; we are submitted believers learning to be ambassadors on God’s rescue mission. We share with others the sacrifice of Christ for sin—which is something every human being wrestles. Humanity can know the cleansing power of Christ’s salvation and the power to testify to the story.
Many believers humbly gather together as a community or spiritual family weekly to worship [Heb. Shachah (שָׁחָה)] or sink into God’s presence, express respect, and to honor God for the sacrifice he made to save humanity. Gratitude and praise is on our lips and released through our songs. However, in our worship, we must also position ourselves before the Word to learn HOW to grow as grateful disciples, so we can live up to our heavenly calling. Jesus is the Perfect One and, although our spirits have been made perfect by his sacrifice and presence, our souls have a long way to go! It is a lifelong pursuit toward perfection [maturity] (Mat 5:48).
I believe these times in “family” worship are very valuable to our goal for learning and growing in the image of Christ, because for the rest of the week we will need the wisdom we gain. God prepares us for the days ahead. He knows what Word we will need and the power it will take to live it out. Therefore, worship is really a lifestyle [style of life] we embrace, because Christ is making us obedient and holy. We practice the values, behaviors, and choices revealed by our Lord—we are putting on the character of Christ each day wherever we go. In this way, we begin to see life from God’s selfless perspective.
In our passage today, the writer reminds us the law of Moses was a shadow of things to come—because the law could never cleanse and forgive humanity. Only the new covenant with Christ can cleanse and make us whole [perfectly cleansed, forgiven and ready to mature]. While we are growing, we are accepted, forgiven, and cleansed by God, as well as invited into his holy presence. Thank you, Lord!
Hebrews 10:1-4 NLT Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
1 The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
3 But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being the sacrifice we need to be cleansed and forgiven. Now, we can come boldly to your throne of grace, ask for mercy, and set before you our every need. You are there waiting to be with us. We are truly blessed by you, Lord. Thank you for setting us free from sin and death. We praise your holy name. Amen.