Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
(1Ch 16:28-29)
This Psalm of celebration that David sings has one of my favorite phrases in all of the poetic writings of the Bible. It is a simple short phrase, but so rich in meaning, to me it is the very essence of how we ought to relate to the Lord. David says, “Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” I love it! So simple, so profound… it has much to say to us today.
We start with the meaning of the word WORSHIP. Webster, in his 1828 dictionary, said worship is “extravagant love and extreme submission”. Extravagant and extreme; it goes beyond the norm; it extends beyond what is expected. It enters into a realm that most would consider waste, over the top, beyond what is acceptable. It might be termed as HOLY OBSESSION. Real worship is ALL CONSUMING. So we see here that we are to love the Lord extravagantly, and submit to him in an extreme way.
We do this in the “beauty of holiness”. What is the BEAUTY OF HOLINESS? It is a term used first and foremost to describe the holy of holies, the place where the presence of God dwells. But for us, it speaks not only of how beautiful it is to dwell in the Lord’s presence, but the state we should be in as worshipers. We can’t worship God and be living in the ugliness of sin. We can’t worship God and be living in the false appearances of this world. No, worship takes place in the BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. The place where we are fully consecrated to God, and connected to Him… the place of ABIDING RELATIONSHIP.
So… Worship God. Let your love and commitment to Him be EXTREME. Enjoy the BEAUTY of holiness; His holiness, and the effects it has on your life… I guarantee you will find nothing more beautiful!
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