WORSHIP QUOTABLES (PART 1)

Have You Ever Wonder What Does God Think Of Our Worship?

"The revelation of God is the fuel for the fire of our worship." - Matt Redman

"Worship has a purpose. We don't worship for worship's sake. We don't sing, clap, pray and rejoice for our enjoyment or fulfillment but for the Lord. The Holy Father, the Holy Son and the Holy Spirit are objects of our worship." - LaMar Boschman

"Worship is our reason for being." - Tom Kraeuter

"Worship is the believer's utmost priority and highest occupation." - LaMar Boschman

"Worship is a verb." - Robert Webber

"Worship is an attitude expressed." - Judson Cornwall

"Worship is always a now activity." - Judson Cornwall

"Worship is an exercise of the Holy Spirit directed primarily to God." - Ralph Martin

"Where feelings for God are dead worship is dead." - John Piper

"Regardless of how magnificent the musical moment are, unless your heart is fully engaged in the worship being expressed ... it is still only music." - Darlene Zschech

"Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." - Jesus

Here are a collection of worship songs for listening:

Have a blessed and victorious week \0/\0/\0/ -TPWC :)

WORSHIP "UN-BOXED"

We have a tendency to limit our Christian experiences by “boxing” them in a confined space. We label our spiritual boxes, both large and small, and place our boxed experiences neatly on the shelf of our minds ... along with other boxes we’ve collected over the years. It all makes for a tidy intellect, an organized life, manageable encounters with God and man.

There’s only one problem with all this. Spirituality and all of life is organic. When the Spirit of God breathes life on something, it grows. Sometimes, life oozes out of our tidy little boxes, drips down the sides of the boxes in our minds we can no longer contain them. If you’re like me, I foolishly try to control matters by simply placing them in newer, larger boxes! But sometimes, we experience such explosive growth that our boxes literally burst and there we stand — with real spirituality splashed all over our faces and dripping down our arms. It’s a truth that many times God is not tidy with us. He cannot be contained in our mental boxes despite our best efforts. When He breathes life on something, it will grow … and many times in ways we cannot manage. The problem with all our boxes and labels is that we think of a given spiritual experience in terms of the label and the dimensions of its box.

Similarly, our box labelled “worship” hardly resembles the worship of the Old Testament and early church. The modern-day church has reduced the word to mean “praise and worship music”. If you don’t believe me, ask the average Christian about how the“worship” was at his church last Sunday and he will rattle on about the music. While music is a wondrous tool for worship, it is not itself worship per se. Our churches miss so much if music is the only thing in our “worship box”. This must be not only admitted by us as church musicians, but must be taught by us until we really believe it.

Here are a few things I’m certain we’d never hear from early Christians: “The worship this morning was just awesome!”, or “I just can’t worship when we use one of David’s new psalms,” or “The timbrel was so loud in worship this morning! Someone needs to talk to Asaph about it.” No, worship in the Bible is actually unaccompanied by music.

With the exception of the Psalms, which display much music associated with worship, the majority of worship stories in the Bible have no music involved at all. Worship did not require a song, it required a heart. Job laid in the dust and worshipped in affliction. Isaiah trembled and worshipped in awe. Jehoshaphat worshipped in warfare. David danced and worshipped in abandon (other times, he worshipped in laments). Hannah worshipped in perseverance through bareness. John the Revelator got to see the worship of heaven. To be sure, some of these stories had musical components. But worship was the central spiritual experience, not music.

This is a hard pill for me to swallow. I can embrace the concept of worship apart from music in the larger corridors of my intellect. But in the small, inner chamber of my heart I must admit I see my worship as primarily music. I am only beginning to understand what a beautiful gift of expression music is, by putting it in the context of worship among other God-ward expressions.

Maybe through embracing this truth we as church musicians become humble (The Holy Spirit finds humility in God’s children absolutely irresistible!). Maybe if we empty out our box of worship and ask Abba to breathe on us, worship will grow without restraint. Maybe by emptying our hands of instruments and microphones and conductor’s batons and by bowing down, we will begin to encounter a Beautiful Savior, a Loving Father, an Empowering Spirit.

An extract from - John Randall Dennis’ “Living Worship: A Biblical Guide to Making Worship Real in Your Life” 
Blessings
TPWC

ARE YOU A WORSHIPER?

Profile Of A Worshiper

If someone ask a teacher what he does for a living, he will reply, "I am a teacher." He says that because he works or spends most of his time teaching. Similarly, you know you are a worshipper when what you do the most is worship.

Worshippers don't just worship on weekends. They don't need a bulletin, or a "call to worship" or a worship leader to encourage them to go vertical. They can worship in any place and at any time because they are worshippers.

Continual worship is central to the life of a worshipper. A worshipper offers the sacrifice of praise to God continually. "From the rising of the sun to it's going down the Lord's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:3). Endless eulogy, ceaseless celebration and perpetual praise are the earmarks of a worshipper.

Worshipers don't wait for perfect circumstances to worship, and they don't let current situations keep them from worshiping.

There is a song in the Bible that says, "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls - yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Though I have no money in the savings account and my cheque book is overdrawn, though the fridge and cupboard are empty and I just got laid off, yet I will worship and rejoice in my Lord.

The first step in becoming a worshiper is worshiping in spite of bad circumstances.

An extract from - Exploring the Mysteries of Worship by Larmar Boschman
TPWC

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

God Is Spirit, and those who worship Him 

must worship in spirit and truth

John 4:24 (NKJV)  

What is your worship like? Is it a Sunday ritual or a frenzied emotion that you can put on and take off? Is it limited to one style of music or a particular church? Most important, is it more than skin-deep?
Considering the central role of worship in the life of a human being - it is our entire reason for being, as well as the eternal activity of the saints in heaven, according to the WORD - we might do well to consider what God wants it to be like. Does He prefer informal or formal? Ritualistic or spontaneous? Noisy or quiet? Dignified or recklessly passionate? Nearly everyone has an opinion on these alternatives, but they aren't really the HEART of the issue. What God desires most has less to do with how we express our worship than with the spirit behind it. In our adoration of our Creator, God seeks inspiration and integrity and a spirit of sacrifice. He wants our outward expression to match our inward attitudes. He wants us not to worship ignorantly, but to know Who He is. He wants it to be real.
That's hard for us. We fall into error so easily: We're either too emotional or not emotional enough, too rigid or too unstructured, too self-conscious or not self-aware enough. Most of all, we're apt to turn a worshipful heart into a routine behaviour in the blink of an eye. What was sincere devotion yesterday is a performance for God's approval today. What was once an act of passion is now an act of obligation. Our HEARTS can grow cold faster than we ever thought.
Worship defines the relationship between God and His people and touches every aspect of our existence. 
God seeks those whose worship emanates from deep within. He desires legitimate praise and integrity between the HEART and mouth. He wants to be the One we treasure most. Most of all, He wants you! 
As we step into the New Year, let us consider the priority the Word of God places on TRUE WORSHIP - Jesus' declaration that REAL WORSHIP is what God is after - to WORSHIP HIM In SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.
(an extract from Worship The King by Chris Tiegreen)

THE WORSHIP SERIES (PART 25): EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP

As I step into the New Year 2014, I was asking the Lord what would be a good resolution that would help me to maintain my desire to be a Lifestyle Worshipper?

"Extravagant Worship!" - that's what the Lord has challenged me to do. Some of you could immediately identify the book "Extravagant Worship" written by Darlene Zschech ... as you read this book, there is one common ingredient found in most extravagant worshippers and that is PASSIONATE about worship.

It is easier said than done because it would takes quite a bit of DISCIPLINE to be a PASSIONATE WORSHIPPER. So the Lord reminded me to get back to what I had posted in my first article in TPWC's blog in the year 2006:

THE DISCIPLINE OF WORSHIP - "To The degree You Are Willing To Discipline Your Life, God Will Be Able To Accomplish His Desired Plan For You. To Bring To Pass Those Desires That He Has Placed In Your Heart And To Bring About Those Things For Which You Are Believing Him. It Doesn't Happen Merely Because God Said It Was Going To Happen. A Lot Depend Upon You And Me." (The 2nd Flood - The Discipline of worship by John W. Stevenson)
To this day I can never forget meeting pastor John Stevenson (1991 in Kent Henry's Worship Seminar in Missouri USA). There in the midst of one of the worship workshop, John was playing the keyboard and leading worship, singing "I Worship You Almighy God" and the glory of the Lord fell in that room of about 80 believers. We stood for the whole session for about one and half hour just immersed in His holy awesome presence! Later I met pastor John in person; he is such a humble person and you could just sense that sweet spirit of a passionate lifestyle worshipper in him.

Some of the ways we can maintain the Discipline of Worship:

- DAILY replace the spirit of grumblings with the spirit of thanksgiving
- In EVERYTHING give thanks (1 Thess 5:18)
- Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! (Phil 4:4)
- CONTINUALLY offer to God a sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15) 
- At ALL TIMES - Bless The Lord and CONTINUALLY - Let His Praise Be In Our Mouth (Psalm 34:1)
- Each day offer your bodies as a living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God which is your reasonable WORSHIP (Romans 12:1) 
- Whenever OPPORTUNITY ARISES, lavish upon the Lord worship because it belongs to God.
- In His dealings, CHOOSE to bow down and worship the ways of God. 

"Come Let Us Bow Down In Worship, Let Us Kneel Before The Lord Our maker; For He Is Our God And We are The People Of His Pasture." (Psalm 95:6-7)

We can be like Mary in the Bible who anointed and lavished Jesus with worship (John 12:3). Be blessed with this songs: "Pour My Love On You" by Phillips, Craig and Dean.

BLESSED NEW YEAR! 
TPWC

THE WORSHIP SERIES (Part 24): THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS IS WORSHIP!

For To Us A Child Is Born

To Us A Son Is Given

And The Government Will Be On His Shoulders

And He Will Be Called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince Of Peace

Isaiah 9:6

Christmas is a time of joy and giving. Christians all over the world commemorate this occasion because "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ that whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting life" - John 3:16In our celebration, we proclaim the Good News with carols on the streets and we expressed God's love to the world with our gifts to the needy and the orphans. In the midst of all these activities, do you know that the spirit of Christmas is WORSHIP? All those who came to meet Jesus WORSHIPED ... 

The Wisemen
"Where is the one who has been born king of Jews? we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)"On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh "(Matthew 2:11 - note: worship before gifts)

The Angels"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appreared with angel praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men ..." (Luke 2:13)
The Shepherds"The shepherds returned, glorifying God for all the things they had heard and seen ..." (Luke 2:20)
Simeon The Godly Man"... Simeon, who was a righteous and devout ...took Him in his arms and praised God ..." (Luke 2:25-33)
The Prophetess Anna" ... she gave thanks to God ..." (Luke 2:36-38)
We must remember Jesus not as a baby but as our One and only LORD and SAVIOR - the greatest gift God has given to men. He gave His life for us. He suffered and died ... His LOVE, His GRACE, His GLORY ... the most precious gift men have ever received -SALVATION!
As we celebrate this year's Christmas, let us reserve the best gift for our Lord -WORSHIP. Right now join me in simple praise and worship from your heart & spirit ...JESUS IS THE REASON for the season.

CHRISTmas is all about CHRIST our Saviour Who came to this world to save us (John 3:16) but the world has crossed & deleted the word CHRIST and replaced it with an "X" and called it Xmas

Blessed Christmas!
TPWC

THE WORSHIP SERIES (Part 23) - The Essence of Worship: Jesus And The Samaritan Woman (Be Authentic - Worship In Spirit And In Truth)

We are worshiping creatures by nature. It's why we were made. A glance around our world reveals a panorama of worship. Our culture alone includes an abundance of styles, a plethora of deities, a multitude of definitions, and myriad motives.
Considering the central role of worship in the life of a human being - is our entire reason for being, as well as the eternal activity of the saints in heaven, according to the WORD - we might do well to consider what God wants it to be like. Does He prefer informal or formal? Ritualistic or spontaneous? Noisy or quiet? Dignified or recklessly passionate? Nearly everyone has an opinion on these alternatives, but they aren't really the heart of the issue. What God desires most has less to do with how we express our worship than with the spirit behind it. In our adoration of our Creator, GOD SEEK INSPIRATION AND INTEGRITY, SINCERITY AND A SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE. HE WANTS OUR OUTWARD EXPRESSION TO MATCH OUR INWARD ATTITUDES. He wants us not to worship ignorantly, but to know who He is. HE WANTS US TO BE REAL.
That's hard for us. We fall into error so easily: We're either too emotional or not emotional enough, too rigid or too unstructured, too self-conscious or not self-aware enough. Most of all, we're apt to turn a worshipful heart into a routine behavior in the blink of an eye. What was sincere devotion yesterday is a performance for God's approval today. What was once an act of passion is now an act of obligation. Our hearts can grow cold faster than we ever thought.
What is your worship like? Is it a Sunday ritual or a frenzied emotion that you can put on and take off? Is it limited to one style of music or a particular church? Most important, is it more than skin-deep?
God seeks those whose worship emanates from deep within. He desires legitimate praise and integrity between the heart and mouth. He wants to be the One we treasure most. Most of all, He wants you. All of you.
(An extract from Worship The King by Chris Tiegreen)

Be blessed with Julie True's Soaking Worship:

THE WORSHIP SERIES (Part 22): The Essence of Worship - Jesus And The Samaritan Woman.

TRUE WORSHIP - WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

The greatest pleasure of the Christian life is WORSHIP, though we scarcely realize it until we've dived in wholeheartedly. We approach it at first as an obligation. We're fairly self-focused, and it's hard to turn our hearts toward God. But if we do, in spirit and in truth (i.e with zealous inspiration and according to who God really is), we find inexpressible delights. Jesus seeks to turn us, like the woman at the well, into WORSHIPERS with substance rather than WORSHIPERS of ritual. How do we make that change?
Many of us ask God this question: "What is my responsibility toward You?" While not a bad question, there is a better, more heartwarming question: "What can I offer You to show my devotion?"

Do you see the difference? The first question presuppose a requirement we must meet. It almost assumes that there will be a minimum standard, and after having met it, we will cease our God-ward activity and resume our self-ward obsession. The second question presupposes a desire to express love and devotion. It assumes that there can never be enough we can offer Him, but whatever we can find to offer, we will. There is no self-focus in it at all; it is entirely enamored with God.

JESUS would have us not ask which requirements we are to fulfill, but what more of ourselves we can offer Him. When we look for our required obligation, we do not worship in spirit, because the SPIRIT OF GOD would not inspire us to fulfill quotas of devotion. And we do not worship in truth, because we underestimate God's worth. He is worth all we are, and more.
Blessed is the WORSHIPER who can truthfully - and with pleasure - say to the LORD: "What can I do for You? You name it, it's Yours. Whatever I can offer You, please let me." This is the kind of worshiper the FATHER seeks.
(an extract from At His feet Devotion by Chris Tiegreen)

Be blessed and inspired with this worship song: The Stand

THE WORSHIP SERIES (Part 21): The Essence of Worship - The Psalmist (True Worship Revere God's Holiness)

Continuing from Part 20, having established God's attributes of authority and greatness, justice and righteousness, the psalmist moves on to his application. 

3) THE LORD IS REVEALED
God's holy nature is revealed through His dealings with humanity. For the LORD rules with equity when He allows His people to pray and intercede for others; when, altogether just, He yet forgives sins; and when also He allows forgiven sinners to reap the full consequences of their sins. In other words, our God is wonderful, forgiving, and gracious - but because He is also just and mighty, the very thought of sin should strike fear in our hearts. Realization of both aspects of God's character helps us understand that God is holy, and this understanding results in TRUE WORSHIP to Him!
To illustrate these truths, the psalmist provides instructive examples from the lives of three of God's choice servants.
"Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the LORD, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; they kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds" (Psalm 99:6-8).

We can really take comfort from the fact that God answered the prayers of Moses, Aaron and Samuel. The psalmist points out that even these great men of God struggled with sin just a we do. They had weaknesses and failings so that even though God "answered them" and was "to them God-Who-Forgives," He nonetheless "took vengeance on their deed" (Psalm 99:8).
Moses, Aaron, and Samuel all committed sins against God. The Bible records that Moses incurred the

LORD's wrath at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, where he showed lack of respect for God in the presence of the people (Deuteronomy 32:51). Aaron also stirred God's anger at Meribah, and he had earlier transgressed when he sanctioned idol worship (Exoducs 31:1-6) and rebellion against Moses' leadership (Numbers 1:1-2). And what was Samuel's sin? We cannot determine since the Bible provides no direct mention of it, unless it was perhaps a failure to discipline his two sons (1 Samuel 8:3).
However, we do know two things for certain. First, according to the psalmist, all three men confessed and repented of their failures. How do we know? Moses, Aaron, and Samuel must each have been contrite before the LORD, for He forgave them. Second, not withstanding His forgiveness, God still took "vengeance of their inventions." That is, when His servants followed their own ways, God allowed even these great men to bear the full consequences of their sin. Both Moses and Aaron, for example, were not permitted to enter the Promised Land. Instead, even with the end of their wilderness journey in sight, God took them to glory(Numbers 33:38 and Deuteronomy 34:5).
We, too, will stumble and fall into sin. But "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Nevertheless, we must always face some kind of consequence because of that sin. Why? Because God is just and holy. Yet there is a second reason, one intended for our benefit. Just as the nerves of our fingertips warn us never again to touch a hot stove, the experience of sin's consequences is an inducement to forsake our own "inventions."

4) THE LORD IS REVERED

The psalmist has sung of God's holiness as demonstrated by the way He reigns in awesome might, dwells above all the people. combines power with justice, answers prayer, gives instruction, and forgives sin though not disallowing its consequences. So what is the natural conclusion of the matter? The psalmist exhorts us to"exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy" (Psalm 99:9).
To exalt means to lift up. does God then need me to lift Him up? Of course not. We exalt the HOLY

ONE, not just because He is God, but because HE IS OUR GOD! If we are His people, we lift up our God's name above all others. Think about it! He is altogether HOLY, and yet we who are nothing by comparison can call Him our God! Considering our God and ourselves in that light, our natural expression must be to give Him the highest place in all things. And if He holds that place, our worship should show it.
God's preeminence is the reason we join with the psalmist in worshiping at God's holy hill. His prescribed place of worship. At first, the place of worship was the tabernacle that God's people put up and took down as they traveled in the wilderness. Later the permanent temple in Jerusalem became the place of worship. Thus, as the psalmist sang in his opening stanza, the people were called to honor the King who "sits between the cherubim" and to worship Him who is "great in Zion" and "high above all the people."
In the New Testament, God commands us as His people to worship in our hearts. Indeed, even as we learned from the story of Cain and Abel, the heart has always been the site of TRUE WORSHIP. Even when God promised to be present in a physical location. He warned the Israelite, "But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear [you] are drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them" (Deuteronomy 30:17). Jesus, also, affirmed that TRUE WORSHIP takes place in the inner man. He taught that "TRUE WORSHIPERS SHALL WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH" (John 4:23).
If we know God and enjoy His presence in our hearts, we will worship Him there. Our worship and exaltation of Him will manifest humility in response to His holiness. To worship otherwise is to indicate that we do not really know the holy God of the Bible.
(an extract from: True Worship by David Whitcomb and mark Ward, Sr.)

THE WORSHIP SERIES (Part 20): The Essence of Worship - The Psalmist (In Awe of His Holiness)

Psalm 99

Exalt the Lord our God, 

And worship at His holy hill;

For the Lord our God is holy

A key barometer of how we treat God is our worship. This fact was true in Old Testament days when God's people sometimes had great respect for God and at other times followed their own ideas. At such times they might still observe the outward forms of worship, or they might forsake appearances and follow after idols. Either way, they forgot about the LORD and failed to treat Him with respect. We can do the same today when we casually bring all our sinful baggage with us on Sunday, or forget that He is holy, or perhaps do not even truly know the God we claim to worship. Such lack of respect will be evident in our relationship with Him.


1) THE LORD REIGNS
True worship reveals our respect for His HOLINESS. That is the message of Psalm 99 which begins:

 "The LORD reigns; let the people tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The LORD is great in Zion; and He is high above all the peoples" (Psalm 99:1-2).

That men should tremble before God's authority is clear. But to emphasize

this truth, the psalmist points out that the LORD dwells among the cherubim. Perhaps this observation is a reference to the tabernacle and God's chosen place of presence at the mercy seat, which rested upon the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25;18). This place was so sacred that the high priest could approach it only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Even then, he wore bells on his robe and had a rope tied to him in case God should strike him dead.
The reference to God's sitting "between the cherubum" may also be a reference to His divine nature. Cherubim and seraphim are angelical beings created by God to praise Him. In several passages the Bible describes the cherubim as surrounding God's heavenly throne, attesting to His HOLINESS."And one cried to another, and said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3). Truly, this is a God who can make the earth to quake at His power and presence!
God reigns, and He is "great in Zion." This is another name for Jerusalem, the city of His choosing, where His "shekinah" glory once grace the tabernacle and then the temple. To say the Lord is great in Zion may be an affirmation that God is great among His people.
After the psalmist praise the God who is mighty over the tabernacle and over the city, the progression continues. For the LORD is "high above all the people." Even kings cannot compare to His greatness! Yet even as we tremble before Him, we are comforted to know that God who dwells "above all the people" can see all things. He is in control of every detail of our lives and He cares intensely about His people. A right view of God sees Him in all of the glory that the Bible attributes to Him. Such a view compels us to treat Him with the awesome respect that is His due. When we view His glory we will bow with the psalmist in true worship and declare,

"Let the praise Your great and awesome name - He is holy" (psalm 99:3).

2) THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS
The Scriptures affirm that this God who has the power to do anything chooses to do the right thing. Of God the psalmist sings, "The King's strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob" (Psalm 99:4).
God exercises perfect justice every time. He always establishes equitable decision, always forms righteous plans, and always does justly. Why? Because He is holy. Therefore we are to "exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool - He is holy" (Psalm 99:5).
Because He is God and therefore reigns in perfect equity and  justice, we must exalt Him. This exaltation presupposes that we truly;y know God's attributes - and that knowledge comes only through a vibrant personal relationship with Him. Anyone can know about God or even use words from the Bible when in worship. But an intellectual knowledge of the LORD is not enough. Even "the demons believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). Those who do not know God cannot exalt His attributes. It is for this reason that we often see worship that suggests the worshipers know a god of wealth or pleasure, or they know only of mere religion. In contrast, TRUE WORSHIP lifts up the name of God because the worshipers know Him intimately.
One necessary means of calling proper attention to God is His people's assuming their proper place before Him. The psalmist enjoins us to "worship at His footstool," giving a picture of our obeisance before His kingly throne. Psalm 93 through Psalm 99 are in fact called the "Royal Psalms," because they exalt the majestic King JEHOVAH. 
Ancient thrones often sat on a platform atop several steps. Once the king had ascended the steps, he could sit on the throne and put his feet on the footstool that was attached to the throne. The footstool existed for his comfort. However, the footstool also became a picture of subservience and subjugation. Sometimes the footstool was carved with the likeness of the king's enemies. When the king put his feet on the stool, everyone was reminded that the king had brought these enemies into subjection.
God's footstool reminds us that He is the King. Many times in the Scriptures we read that God will make of His enemies a footstool. Other passages state that the LORD has His footstool in the tabernacle, and in others the LORD declares that "the earth is [His] footstool" (Isaiah 66:1, Acts 7:49). In all these references we are reminded that God is exalted as we worship in our proper place of submission.
Such submission can be joyfully given to God because of His HOLINESS "You testimonies are very sure: holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever" (Psalm 93:5). God's holiness permits the perfect marriage of might and right. Indeed, God's HOLINESS is the symphony of all of His attributes - attributes that the human mind cannot fully comprehend. God is angry at sin and yet is full of love. He pours out wrath against rebels and yet is altogether long suffering. His holiness is the glue that joins thses attributes together. His strength loves justice. He both establishes equity and executes righteousness. TRUE WORSHIP will exalt such a God!
(an extract from True Worship by David Whitcomb and Mark Ward, Sr.)

THE WORSHIP SERIES (Part 19): The Essence of Worship - King David (True Worship Starts With A Proper ATTITUDE)

Worship should be exciting. King David is portrayed in the Bible as dancing and singing and giving praises to God. Does exciting worship consist merely of such obvious demonstrations? In learning what the Bible has to teach us about worship, the example of King David’s attitude is instructive. 

BRINGING BACK THE ARK (2 Samuel 6)
The first attempt was unsuccessful (2 Samuel 6:1-10) 
because the people failed to acknowledge God’s

holiness. They treated the Ark, which God called sacred, as if it were just another piece of religious furniture. For one thing, they transported the Ark using a cart which was not the means prescribed by God for transporting the Ark (Exodus 25:14). Then, when the cart teetered under the pull of the oxen, one of the attendants put his hand on the sacred Ark to steady it. So disrespectful was the man’s action that “God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the Ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:7). The procession made it only as far as Obed-Edom. There the Ark stayed 
Three month later, David finished building the tabernacles that would house the Ark. He decided to make a second attempt at bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. The king and his people were obviously excited! But something about their worship was different this time. This time David obeyed God’s instruction. Notice that the Ark was now borne by porters in the manner God had prescribed. A proper recognition of God’s holiness was also demonstrated by starting the procession with sacrifice. (2 Samuel 6:13-16)
What is the lesson in the two attempts? We have seen two instances of worship, both of which involved great excitement involving music, singing, and rejoicing. But one ended in disaster and the other in blessings. Both expressions were exciting but in only one instance did God accept the worship. What was the difference?
The difference was the ATTITUDE in which the worship was offered. In the first attempt to transport the Ark, God was disobeyed and His presence – symbolized in the Ark – was carelessly regarded. But in the second attempt God was obeyed, and through offerings and praises, His person was the focus of His people’s worship. 
The ATTITUDE that made the difference can be seen in the song that David composed upon the Ark’s return. The Bible records what the heart of God’s man was as he participated in worship that was both exciting and true. David’s song, recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, is actually a compilation of three psalms David had written. The middle section of David’s song was based on what is now preserved in the Bible as Psalm 96. In this psalm we find the theme of the entire song, expressing the essence of true, joyful worship.
“O, Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth” (Psalm 96:9)

1) THE PROPER ATTITUDE FOR WORSHIP
In this song David issue a call to worship, a worship that is joyful and fearful at the same time. Can this kind of worship really take place? How do we resolve this seeming contradiction of ATTITUDES? Fear stems from the fact that,, when we say God is holy, we acknowledge His complete separation from sin. He avoids contact with sin and is offended by our sins. God’s holiness leaves you and me in a difficult situation. To resolve this difficulty, some suggest that the Church today should not focus on God’s holiness; that focus might turn people away from God’s love. But David resolved the difficult by describing God’s holiness as “beautiful.”
Why beautiful? The person who loves sin knows in his conscience that that he offends God, and so he regards God’s holiness as austere and restrictive. But that same holiness is beautiful to the person whom God has delivered from sin’s power and penalty. The repentant sinner trembles at the thought of his position before a holy God, but he rejoices in the truth that only a God who is perfectly sinless could have the power to save him.
David’s call to worship is first of all, therefore, a call to fear. For if we see the holy God as all that He is, we will fear greatly. Fearing God is the first step. The second step occurs when our fear matures into awesome respect for the beauty of His holiness. Such maturation takes place when we understand God’s love and forgiveness more fully. In the third step, as our understanding of God increases, two things will happen. We will fear all the more at the thought of offending Him who loves us. But we will rejoice all the more as we contemplate the consummation of His deliverance.

2) THE PROPER ACTIONS FOR WORSHIP 
David’s song before the Ark of the Covenant teaches that a proper ATTITUDE in worship will be manifested in proper actions in worship. Specifically, David describes three categories of actions: Singing, proclaiming, and offering.
He who worships truly must sing a new song unto the holy God. “Oh Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name” (Psalm 96:1-2a). A new song is a fresh song, a song that is different from the old kind of song that illustrates the effects of sin. The new song that God deserves is a song that blesses His name. It’s new song that is directed to Him and that exalts His character, which is rooted in His name.
A proper ATTITUDE in worship will be manifested in our proclamations. “Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations. His wonders among all peoples … say among the nations ‘The Lord reigns’ “ (Psalm 96:2-3, 10). True worship proclaims the inexhaustible good news of God’s salvation every day. 
Finally, a proper ATTITUDE of joyful reverence in worship will express itself in acceptable offerings. “Give to the Lord, O families of the people, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts” (Psalm 96:7-8). True words of praise to God, in contrast, are backed by sacrifice.

3) THE PROPER ANCHOR FOR WORSHIP
True worship starts with a proper ATTITUDE that manifests itself in proper actions. But in the final analysis, worship does not begin with us at all; it finds its proper anchor in the worthiness of God. 
"For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary" 
(Psalm 96:4-6).
God's worth is revealed in His greatness and supremacy, honor and majesty, strength and beauty. Some people stop at this point; they contemplate God's worthiness and express their admiration. Their worship might include some excitement, just as did the worship of the people of Israel the first time they attempted to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. But a proper excitement in worship occurred only when the people obeyed God. Their obedience was rooted in a proper fear of and reverence for Him.
(an extract from True Worship by David Whitcomb and Mark Ward, Sr.)