1, 2. What does it take for God to accept our worship?
What do you think of when you hear the word worship? You may imagine a brother praying to Jehovah on his knees at his bedside and opening his heart to him. Or perhaps you imagine a family enthusiastically studying the Bible together.
The people in both examples are worshiping Jehovah. Will he accept that worship? Yes, as long as it is given to him according to his purpose and with love and respect. Since we love Jehovah very much and know that he deserves our worship, we want to give him the best possible worship.
3. What will we study in this article?
In this article, we will discuss the kind of worship that Jehovah accepted anciently and discuss eight aspects of worship that Jehovah accepts today. As we study them, let's think about how we can improve the quality of our worship. We will also see why true worship makes us happy.
THE WORSHIP THAT JEHOVAH ACCEPTED IN ANCIENT TIME
4. Before Christ, how did Jehovah's servants show that they loved and respected him?
Before Christ, faithful men like Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Job showed that they respected and loved Jehovah. How? Because of his obedience, his faith and his sacrifices. The Bible does not specifically say in what ways they worshiped Jehovah. But it is clear that they did their best to honor him, and he accepted their adoration. In time, God gave the Law of Moses to Abraham's descendants. In this Law he gave them specific instructions on how he wanted them to worship him.
5. How did true worship change after Jesus' death and resurrection?
After Jesus' death and resurrection, Jehovah no longer required his people to obey the Law of Moses (Rom. 10:4). Rather, Christians were to follow a new law, "the law of the Christ" (Gal. 6:2). To do this, they did not have to memorize it or follow a long list of commands and prohibitions, but they had to follow the example of Jesus and his teachings. Today, Christians do their best to imitate Christ in order to please Jehovah and find comfort (Matt. 11:29).
6. How can this article help us?
As you review each aspect of your worship of Jehovah, ask yourself: “How far have I come? Can I improve the quality of my worship?” It is good that you are happy with your progress, but you should also ask Jehovah to help you see where you can improve.
WHAT THINGS ARE PART OF OUR WORSHIP OF JEHOVAH?
7. How does Jehovah view our heartfelt prayers to him?
We worship Jehovah when we pray to him. The Scriptures compare prayers to incense that was carefully prepared and offered in the tabernacle, and later in the temple (Ps. 141:2). That incense produced an aroma that was very pleasing to God. Similarly, our heartfelt prayers are “a delight to him” even if we use very simple words (Prov. 15:8; Deut. 33:10). There are good reasons to believe that Jehovah loves when we express our love and gratitude to him. And he wants us to tell him about our wishes, concerns and hopes. So, before you pray to him, how about he think carefully about what he's going to tell you? In this way, he will offer his heavenly Father "incense" of the best quality.
8. What excellent opportunity do we have to praise God?
We worship Jehovah when we praise him (Ps. 34:1). And how do we praise Jehovah? Speaking with appreciation of his wonderful qualities and his works. Praise comes from a heart full of gratitude. If we take time to ponder Jehovah's goodness in all the good things he has done for us, we will never run out of reasons to praise him. Preaching gives us an excellent opportunity to offer to God “a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips” (Heb. 13:15). Just as we should think carefully about what we are going to say before saying a prayer to Jehovah, we do well to think carefully about what we are going to say to people when we go to preach to them.We want our “sacrifice of praise” to be of the highest quality. In bringing the truth to others, we speak from the heart.
9. How do Jehovah's people benefit from attending the meetings, and how have they helped you?
We worship Jehovah when we attend the meetings. The ancient Israelites were told: “Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses” (Deut. 16:16). They had to leave their home and fields unattended. But Jehovah promised them: “No one will want to take your land when you go up to see the face of Jehovah your God” (Ex. 34:24). The Israelites attended the annual festivals with full faith in Jehovah. In this way they reaped great benefits: they deepened their understanding of God's Law, meditated on his goodness, and enjoyed the encouraging fellowship of other servants of Jehovah.— Deut. 16:15. We also benefit when we make sacrifices to attend meetings. And how happy Jehovah must be when we come prepared to give brief and thoughtful comments.
10. Why is singing to Jehovah an important part of our worship?
We worship Jehovah when we sing to him with our brothers (Ps. 28:7). For the Israelites, singing was an important part of their worship. For example, King David arranged for 288 Levites to be singers in the temple (1 Chron. 25:1, 6-8). Today, we have the opportunity to express our love to God by singing songs of praise. The quality of our voice is not the most important thing. Consider this example: when we speak, “we all stumble many times,” but that doesn't stop us from speaking in the congregation and in the ministry (Jas. 3:2). Similarly, we should not allow defects in our voices to prevent us from singing praises to Jehovah.
11. As Psalm 48:13 shows, why should we set aside time to study the Bible as a family?
We worship Jehovah when we study his Word and tell our children about him. Every Sabbath, the Israelites had the opportunity to put aside their daily routine and strengthen their friendship with Jehovah.—Ex. 31:16, 17. Faithful Israelites taught their children about Jehovah and his goodness. In our case, we must set aside time in our schedule to read and study the Word of God. This is part of our worship of Jehovah and helps us to draw closer to him (Ps. 73:28). Also, when we study together as a family, we can help a new generation—our children—to develop a loving personal relationship with our loving heavenly Father (read Psalm 48:13).
12. How did Jehovah view the work of those who made the objects in the tabernacle, and what does this teach us?
We worship Jehovah by building and maintaining places of worship. The Bible says that the work of making the tabernacle and all its objects was a “holy work” (Ex. 36:1, 4). Today, Jehovah also considers the construction of Kingdom Halls and other theocratic facilities to be sacred service. Some brothers dedicate a lot of time to this work. We certainly appreciate his valuable contribution to the Kingdom work. Of course, these brothers also take time to preach. Some of them may even want to pioneer. The elders show their support for the construction by allowing these hard-working brothers to be appointed as pioneers if they qualify. Whether or not we have construction experience, we can all help keep these facilities clean and in good repair.
13. How should we view the donations we make to support the work of the Kingdom?
We worship Jehovah when we support the work of the Kingdom with our donations. The Israelites were not to appear before Jehovah empty-handed (Deut. 16:16). They had to bring an offering according to their possibilities. In this way they showed gratitude for all the spiritual benefits they received. And how can we express our love for Jehovah and our gratitude for the spiritual blessings we receive? One way is by giving donations in our congregation and to the worldwide work as our circumstances allow. The apostle Paul explained it this way: “If there is a good disposition, what a person gives is very pleasing, when he gives according to what he has and not what he does not have” (2 Cor. 8:4, 12). Jehovah values our heartfelt donations, no matter how small (Mark 12:42-44; 2 Cor. 9:7).
14. According to Proverbs 19:17, how does Jehovah view the help we give to our brothers in need?
We worship Jehovah when we help brothers who are in need. Jehovah promised to bless the Israelites who help the poor (Deut. 15:7, 10). Every time we help a brother in need, Jehovah sees it as a gift to him (read Proverbs 19:17). For example, the Philippian Christians sent Paul a gift while he was in custody, and he said that the gift was a sacrifice that God gladly accepted (Phil. 4:18). Let us think of the brothers in our congregation and ask ourselves: “Is there someone I can help?” Jehovah likes to see us use our time, energy, skills, and material resources to help those in need. For him, that is part of our worship (Jas. 1:27).
WORSHIPING JEHOVAH MAKES US HAPPY
15. Why is spending time and effort worshiping Jehovah not a burden?
Worshiping Jehovah as he pleases requires our time and effort. But that is not a burden (1 John 5:3). Why not? Because we love it. Imagine a child who wants to give his father a present. He may spend hours drawing a picture for him, but he doesn't mind doing it because he loves his father and is happy to give him this gift. Similarly, because we love Jehovah, he makes us happy to use our time and strength to worship him.
16. According to Hebrews 6:10, how does Jehovah view your efforts to please him?
Parents who love their children do not expect each one to give them the same kind of gift. They know that each child is different and has their own circumstances. Similarly, our heavenly Father understands the circumstances of each one of us. Maybe you can do more than most of your friends. Or, conversely, you may not be able to do as much as others, perhaps due to age, health, or family responsibilities. But don't be discouraged by that (Gal. 6:4). Jehovah will not forget what you do. As long as he gives his best and with the right motive, he will be pleased (read Hebrews 6:10). Jehovah sees even the intentions of his heart. He wants you to feel happy and satisfied with the worship that he can give you.
17. (a) What can we do if we find it difficult to carry out some aspect of our worship? b) Has any of the things listed in the “How to be happier” box helped you?
What if we struggle with some aspect of our worship, such as personal study or ministry? We will probably discover that the more time we dedicate to it, the more we take advantage of it and enjoy it. We could compare our worship to exercising or playing a musical instrument. If we only do it from time to time, we may not improve much. But if we do it every day, first for short periods and then longer and longer, we will see good results. Over time, we may even be looking forward to those moments and we will be able to enjoy them. Why don't we do the same with our worship of Jehovah?
how to be happier
True worship today encompasses several aspects, which together and separately will help us be happier now and forever.
ILLUSTRATION:
Images showing different aspects of true worship. 1. Several brothers sing at a congregation meeting. 2. A brother pushes the wheelchair of an older brother as they preach together. 3. A brother says a prayer before reading the Bible. 4. A sister drops a donation into a contribution box. 5. Two sisters and a brother work on the construction of a theocratic facility.
18. How do we fulfill the purpose of our existence, and what do we achieve with it?
When we worship Jehovah with all our hearts, we fulfill the true purpose of our existence. That gives us a happy and meaningful life, and the hope of worshiping Jehovah forever (Prov. 10:22). From now on we enjoy inner peace because we know that Jehovah helps us when we face problems (Is. 41:9, 10). We have good reason to be happy when we worship our loving Father, who deserves glory and honor from all of his creation (Rev. 4:11).
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What was the worship that Jehovah accepted anciently like?
Before Christ, faithful men like Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Job showed that they respected and loved Jehovah. Because of his obedience, their faith, and his sacrifices, they did their best to honor him, and he accepted their worship.
What things are part of our worship of Jehovah today?
Preaching gives us an excellent opportunity to offer God "a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips. " Just as we should think carefully about what we are going to say before saying a prayer to Jehovah, we do well to think carefully about what we are going to say to people when we go to preach to them. Today, we have the opportunity to express our love to God by singing songs of praise.
Why does it make us happy to worship Jehovah?
Worshiping Jehovah as he pleases requires our time and effort. Because we love Jehovah, we are happy to use our time and strength to worship him.
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