Worship

How do you define worship?

I have this definition written on the inside cover of one of my Bibles..."response to God's displayed excellence."

Now I think this is a fine definition but I think it is more comprehensive than that. 

I heard this definition just recently that I really like..."setting your will aside for God's will."  I like it because in recognizing that God is sovereign, it also moves us to set aside our desires for His.  This truly is acknowledging Him as Lord.   I believe worship is not only what is taking place in your mind as you come face to face with the majesty and glory of God, but worship occurs when our hearts and actions are in the right place as well.  Worship is submission as well as homage.

Let me throw out one more definition to you.  This one is from William Temple’s (1881-1944) Readings in St. John’s Gospel.

"Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose - and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin".

Amen!