I see a lot of times at churches, they’ll have ‘Sunday School’ and then a ‘Worship Service’, or people referring to the singing portion as ‘Praise and Worship’.  Using the word ‘worship’ in these different ways certainly can get confusing.  Heck, I get confused just telling the difference between the communion tray and the offering tray. And let me tell you, a twenty dollar bill doesn’t taste as bad as you might think.

So for our purposes I’m going to define a couple things so we can practically understand the different parts of worship.

Let’s start at the beginning.

God created us to glorify Him.

EPH 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, [12] in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Now for our practical purposes today I’ll split up glorifying God into two categories – Worship and Service.

And even further, I’ll split up Worship into two categories as well.  Praise and Thanks.

PS 100: Worship the LORD with gladness… give thanks to him and praise his name.

Praise and thanks are different.

For example, you cannot thank me for being as good looking as I am.  “Conrad, thank you for being the best looking person in the history of mankind.”  That doesn’t make much sense.  I didn’t have anything to do with being the best looking person ever.  That’s just who I am.

“Conrad thank you for being 5 foot 10.”  “Conrad thank you for being Asian.”

None of those make sense.

However you can praise me for those things.  “Conrad, you truly are the best looking person ever.  It’s very cool that you’re Asian.  Can you help me with my math homework?”

That’s praise.

And now thanks…

You can thank me for… what I’ve done.  “Conrad thank you for saving my children from those wolverines.”

So with God, you can Praise Him for who He is and you can Thank Him for what He’s done.

Praise can be as simple as this… just fill in the blank…

God is _______.

God is love.  God is just.  God is holy.  God is merciful.

So when we pray or singing or whatever, we’re pretty much saying stuff like, “God, you are merciful and forgiving.  God you are wonderful.”  That’s praise.

Thanks is stuff like, “God thank you for sending your Son to die for us.  Thank you for my job.  Thank you for these tacos of which we are about to receive.”  That type of thing.

Now when you’re worshipping God, do you need to categorize one thing as praise and not thanks, and another thing as thanks and not praise?  Not really.  You still mean it either way.

Sometimes certain things about God will be a bit of both.

Thinking of praise and thanks is simply a tool to  help us understand what we need to focus on – things we need to grow in.

If we are to grow in our worship of Him, we have to grow in our praise and thanks of Him.

Which means we have to grow in our understanding of who God is AND what He’s done.

In your studies of God, find out about the different attributes of God.  Study them in detail – so that your praise of Him will grow.

Then also study the historical side of what He’s done, not only what He did in the Bible, but what He’s done in your life – so that your thanks in Him will grow.

And put together, your worship of Him will grow.

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(As you read the passage for today, take notice of the melding of Praises and Thanks.)

PS 103:1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

PS 103:2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits–

PS 103:3 who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

PS 103:4 who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

PS 103:5 who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

PS 103:6 The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

PS 103:7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

PS 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

PS 103:9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

PS 103:10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

PS 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

PS 103:12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

PS 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

PS 103:14 for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

PS 103:15 As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

PS 103:16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

PS 103:17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children–

PS 103:18 with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

PS 103:19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

PS 103:20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

PS 103:21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

PS 103:22 Praise the LORD, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Take time to pray: Praise God for His wonderful attributes, and thank Him for what He’s done in your life.

Today’s Fruit of the Spirit: Love.