A PURPOSED CREATION Worship is Genuine BY KERRI BRIDGES
T
rends. They are something we are all affected by at some point in our lives. In our desire to be accepted, we may hold to the latest fashion trend, change our vernacular to include the latest slang, or even compromise our beliefs to adhere to what the world tells us are acceptable political or social standards. We are easily influenced whether for the good or for the bad. Something I’ve seen increasingly in the past decade or so is the trendiness of worship. Worship artists have become celebrities. Worship songs vie for placement on the Billboard charts. Even fashion trends are associated with the world of worship artists and bands. While none of this is inherently bad, caution needs to be heeded. I’ve been to the gamut of worship settings, from large arenas to intimate coffeehouses and everything in between. In every one, I can look around and see people raising their hands and voices, dancing to the sounds, closing their eyes, falling to their knees, and many other forms of worship expression. It’s cool to worship God! It really is! But the question is, where is our heart? Are we going through the motions to fit in with the crowd? Are we trying to give others an impression that doesn’t necessarily fit what our life looks like? Are we honoring God with our lips while our heart is far from Him? (Matthew 15:8) True worship incites change. A change in our hearts, a change in our actions, a change in our attitude. We are changed in the presence of a Holy God. He is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24) He is looking for genuine worshippers. Can you imagine the change we each can affect around us if Godly lives were the fashion? Now that is a trend I could be influenced by. God, I invite Your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me… Lead me back to Your glorious, everlasting ways— the path that brings me back to You. (Psalm 139:23, 24 TPT)
65
