“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is a common question we ask young children who may dream of becoming a police officer, nurse, veterinarian, inventor, or pro athlete. That can certainly be an important question and an exciting thing to think about.
However, while guiding young people to choose a fitting career is significant, the most important person we can teach someone to become is a worshiper of Jesus. In fact, becoming a true worshiper of the Lord should be the ultimate goal for all of us.
What does it really mean to be a worshiper of God? It means that you take your relationship with Him seriously and that you depend on Him for everything. It means that you see your relationship with God not as something extra, but as something essential. It means that Jesus is not just part of your life, but He IS your life.
Jesus explained to a Samaritan woman, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23, NKJV). This scripture reveals that God actually seeks worshipers. He’s looking for people who will commit their heart, soul, mind, and strength to Him.
We can learn from some worshipers recorded in the Bible such as Moses. Psalm 103:7 points out, “(God] made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” Moses developed a much deeper relationship with the Lord than the nation of lsrael as a whole did.
In fact, another scripture reveals, “The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Because of that close relationship, Moses knew the “ways” of God, or His nature and character. In contrast, the children of lsrael simply knew about God; they knew His “acts.”
When we really know people closely, we know their ways, their tendencies, what they like, and what they don’t like. The principle remains the same in our relationship with the Lord. As we draw near to Him, He reveals His nature to us and we better understand who He really is.
The interesting thing is that as we learn more about the ways of God, we better understand the paths He has for us. Proverbs 3:5-6 declares, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
The original Hebrew word translated as “acknowledge” in this verse is translated in some other scriptures as the word “know.” So this verse could be understood to say, “In all your ways KNOW Him, and He shall direct your paths.” In that respect, this truth highlights the importance of intimately knowing the Lord Himself to understand His will for your life.
You see, it’s easy to get caught up in pursuing goals and dreams here on earth. While there is certainly merit to those endeavors, they pale in comparison to the eternal value of investing in a relationship with God. Yes, we should pursue good goals and plans, but most importantly we should pursue God Himself.
Hebrews 12:1-2 exhorts us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” We all have a race to run, but we will only run it successfully by keeping our eyes set on the Lord. Let’s worship Him today!
Reflections 