ADORATION
Verse of the week: Psalm 100: 1-2;5
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lod with gladness; come before him with joyful songs…For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
We’re kicking off a new message series at Resonate, and it’s one everyone is sure to enjoy. It’s our Worship series!
Whether you’re a Christian or not yet a believer, worship is part of human nature. Just think about how are society is structured – we are constantly looking for things to assign meaning to in our lives. Whether it’s chasing after the latest fashion, living and dying with our favourite sports teams, or going on elaborate vacations, once we identify that thing, we want to talk about it. We all know that one person who goes on vacation and creates 100 posts about their trip on Instagram. Well guess what? That’s worship!
Don’t get it twisted, God doesn’t mind you loving things – just not more than Him. As our creator, He actually wants us to go beyond love, and for us to adore Him.
So what’s the actually difference between adoration and love? Thankfully, the Bible gives us the perfect illustration for what it means to adore Jesus in Matthew 26:7. You may be familiar with this story, but let me set the scene. Jesus is enjoying time with His disciplines and close friends, when “a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He was reclining at the table.” This wasn’t your typical perfume, it was likely worth months-worth of income for this lady, but she was so overwhelmed by love for Jesus, that she gifted it to Him, anointing His body.
Remember the context – Jesus is surrounded by His disciples. The ones closest to Him, who had seen Him to do miracles and wonders. Yet, verse 8 says, “When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why the waste?” they asked.” They understood love – they absolutely loved Jesus – but in the moment, they were baffled by adoration. They took Jesus for granted, and came to expect His love and power instead of being floored by it. This story actually appears in 3/4gospels, so I’m willing to bet it wasn’t an accident. In fact, it seems more like a challenge.
Like back then, adoration can still seem like a step too far in today’s world. Imagine a super fan who wears his teams’ jersey in the off-season, or a new couple who claims each other is perfect. Oftentimes, our first reaction to these kinds of people can be a little judgy.
Likewise, it’s possible to have love for Jesus, but think adoration is a step too far – and that’s because we ourselves are afraid of being judged. But here’s what adoration is. It means being willing to confront the place in your heart that doesn’t want to take that step.
Adoration will always seem like a step too far for people who haven’t experienced God in the same way you have. It’s a big reason why Christians can be judged. The way we talk about God just doesn’t make sense for people that don’t know Him. But God deserves all of our love and adoration, we just need to be bold.
We’ve been taught in life that the only time we can go “wow” is when we experience something brand new. It’s the pitfall of familiarity. We can love something, but not really be blown away by it. But real joy comes from having a “wow” reaction to something we’ve taken for granted – for seeing something a new way, every day. And that’s God.
How will you go beyond love this week to experience God in a brand-new way, and to give Him your full adoration?
Make sure to check out the full message below!
