worship - Barbara Lynn Seibel

April 14, 2024April 2, 2024

Reasons to Worship God

Have you given any consideration to why you worship God?

What reasons would you share with others for worshiping God?

Do the reasons vary depending on whom you are sharing with? If so, why?

Or perhaps you came across this post because you have never worshiped God and are curious why others do.

The primary definition of the word worship is to honor or show reverence to a divine being or supernatural power.

Here, I am writing about the God of the ancient Israelites whom Christians also worship today.

I believe the most accurate source to learn the reasons to worship God comes from God himself in the Bible.

Today, we will explore the reasons God himself provided to the ancient Israelites for worshiping Him in Deuteronomy 11:1-20.

April 7, 2024April 1, 2024

Remember Not to Forget | Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Do you know the name of the flowers in the picture above?

Yep, Forget-Me-Nots.

I found some interesting German lore stories on farmersalmanc.com. These stories about knights, maidens, and forget-me-nots are both sweet and bitter.

Farmersalmanc.com also stated that these flowers are prolific bloomers between May and October in my region. Traditionally, these flowers symbolize true love, respect, fidelity, and faithfulness based on those German lore stories mentioned above.

But forget-me-not flower lore and symbolism aside, today we will consider the value of remembering not to forget the LORD as we study Deuteronomy 8:1-20.

November 12, 2023November 11, 2023

Fueling the Worship Response

What is your first thought when you think about fuel?

Gasoline or electricity is a typical fuel that enables vehicles to get us from point to point.

Wood is an excellent fuel for a campfire.

Physically, we use food as fuel to nourish and sustain our bodies.

But there are other fuels to consider.

For example, Exodus 12:27 ends with the phrase, “And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.”

What fueled this worship response?

November 5, 2023November 4, 2023

Why Do People Worship God? |Exodus 4:31 | Part Two

I’m back!

In Why Do People Worship God? | Exodus 4:31 | Part One, we considered the primary and secondary definitions of both the word worship and God using Merriam-Webster.com.

We then reviewed how the stage was set in Genesis 15:12-14 and how the plot developed from Genesis 41:41-43 through Exodus 4:17 before the people in Exodus 4:31 responded to the news Moses and Aaron presented to them by worshipping God.

Today, we will continue our study of Exodus 4, seeking to gain insight into why people worship God.

October 15, 2023October 14, 2023

Why Do People Worship God? |Exodus 4:31 | Part One

Answering the question of why people worship God seems both simple and complex.

The primary definition of worship is to honor or show reverence for a divine being or supernatural power.

But this definition implies that there are multiple potential divine beings or supernatural powers to choose from.

Further, the secondary definition reveals that worship may be directed toward other humans or physical objects.

The primary definition of God, according to Merriam-Webster.com, is the supreme or ultimate reality who is perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness and the creator ruler of the universe.

Yet, secondary definitions mention god as a being or object that has more than natural attributes and powers, one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality, a person or thing of supreme value, or a powerful ruler.

How can Exodus 4:31 help us unravel this simple yet complex question of why people worship God?

October 8, 2023October 7, 2023

Honoring God Through Worship | Genesis 24: 26-27 and 48

Genesis 24 is more than a simple story of how Isaac and Rebekah become husband and wife.

In fact, a significant portion of the chapter centers on Abraham’s servant.

Back in Genesis 15:2, before Isaac was born, we learn the name of Abraham’s chief servant is Eliezer. Abraham expresses to God his concern that he remains childless. As long as this continued, Eliezer would inherit Abraham’s estate.

Yet, Abraham did not remain childless. He received a child through his wife Sarah in their old age.

Following the death of Sarah, Abraham requests Eliezer take a special assignment.

What can we learn from Abraham’s chief servant about honoring God through worship?

September 24, 2023September 23, 2023

Respecting God Through Worship | Genesis 22:5

What first leaps to mind when you think of worship?

Merriam-Webster.com defines worship first as offering reverence to a divine being or supernatural power.

We can express this reverence through a worship service where praises, hymns, thanksgiving, teachings, and prayers are offered to a divine being or supernatural power in a group setting.

We can also worship in smaller group settings or individually.

A secondary definition reminds us we can worship any person or object we choose to offer extravagant respect, admiration, or devotion toward.

Consider the following examples Merriam-Webster.com used to illustrate this secondary definition.

A celebrity is worshipped by his or her fans.
There are those who worship the dollar.

What does this have to do with respecting God through worship and Genesis 22:5?

August 1, 2021July 31, 2021

THE ISSUER’S ID

Have you ever had a student ID card?

What was on that student ID Card?

Why did you have a student ID card?

A student ID card will typically have at least the following items:

The Issuer’s ID or name
Reference to the location of the Issuer
Picture and/or name of the student the ID is for

Have you ever thought about Matthew 6:9 as being part of a student ID card?

January 24, 2021December 26, 2020

CALL

Looking up the word “call” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary indicates the word may be used as a verb or a noun.

Within these categories for use the examples for “call” are extensive:

Call for help
Call for an investigation
Call of an animal
Call by telephone
Call to show hand in a card game
Call a square dance
Call to pay respects
Call out a number
Call the roll
Call a sport
Call to testify
Call to mind
Call to duty
Call a meeting
Call to wake up
Call for an offense
Call off
Call a spade a spade
Call for
Call it quits
Call names
And so on…😊

We will examine closely today two more examples not included above:

the transitive verb: “call on: defined as:1 : to call upon Is there anyone you can call on in an emergency?; and the noun form defined as :: a divine vocation or strong inner prompting to a particular course of action often referring to as being called or a calling.