The Focus of Worship

The Focus of Worship
Words of Faith 11-14-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Exodus 15
[11] "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?
Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory,
working wonders?
[12] You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.

The song of Moses first reveals to us the heart and walk of worship. Next is the focus of worship. The focus of worship should be obvious. We worship God, of course. But unfortunately, God is not always the focus of the times and gatherings we call "worship," even if His name is tossed about prominently.
Sadly, the gatherings of people in the name of God can easily focus on things other than God. Church can be a complicated and distracting place. We are often more concerned with our comfort, entertainment needs, social connections, or taste in music than worshiping the Lord. Interestingly, churches were likely to divide over critical doctrinal issues a century or two ago. Today churches are far more likely to divide over the style of worship than just about anything else.
Moses asks a poignant question: "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?" What were the "gods" that Moses was talking about? Of course, there were the many Egyptian gods that had been defeated by the plagues. But a "god" is anything that captures our attention and energy in our quest for meaning.
The truth is we have just as many gods in our culture as Egypt did, maybe more! The gods of our culture are those things that offer to give us meaning, significance and order. The gods of health, beauty, youth, power, sex, money, and material possessions are just a few. Career, promotion, and even "family" can become the gods of our age as we desperately try to find meaning, order, and safety. Some today worship their own children as a source of immortality, meaning, and significance.
Moses asks: "Who is like You-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" If we ponder that question even briefly, we will realize that none of the gods of our culture or the Egyptian culture come close to the Lord Almighty. The sense of meaning and control offered by the gods of the day is fleeting. In contrast, the Lord is majestic in holiness. He is absolutely complete and pure, never to be defiled. He is awesome in glory. His glory is simply beyond description. He works wonders from creation to salvation. He is full of wonder!
One of the keys to our journey in the desert is to realize that the gods of our age are inadequate. The things, endeavors, and honors we chase after in this life are fleeting. They pale against the majesty, awe, and wonder of the one true and living God. We discover this in focused worship.
When we focus on the Lord, everything else will make sense. When we worship the Lord, we realize that things are not to be worshiped, they are to be used for His glory. People are not to be used; they are to be loved for His Glory. He sets into order the dreams, endeavors, and journeys of our lives.
Have you lost your focus? Have you allowed the gods of our age to turn your head from the One who created everything? Today is a great day to refocus.

Father God, thank You for reminding us in Your Word what life is all about. Today I choose to focus on You. Order my life. None of the gods is like You. You are majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, and working wonders. In Jesus' name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.