Made an interesting observation tonight: we are more in touch with ourselves than we realize. There is something within each of us. Something universal, something natural, something misunderstood. What is it? The answer is worship.
No matter where you go, people are worshiping. In the west, east, north and south, people have this inherent desire to worship. I find it interesting that even the most primitive tribes who have little or no communication with the outside world, found it within themselves to worship something or someone. Worship exists when we deify someone or something. Worship is also the oldest experience known to man, so as you would imagine, along the way if we are not careful, we can make it something of an empty meaningless nature, filled with empty customs and rituals.
Thanks to Dr. Miles Munroe, I also learned a few of the Greek translations for the word ‘worship’ like ‘sobei’ which means devoted; other Greek translations say ‘worship’ means to ‘kiss toward’ as in bowing and kissing someone’s feet (Don’t have to use much imagination for that one); It means to serve. Worship, in the Greek also gives us our English word, ‘therapy’, meaning worship is actually a form of therapy; it soothes the soul.
Now what is the point of this information? Well, I want to ask you to think about something. In terms of government, which form of ‘rulership’ requires worship? Under Unitary States (like the United States) or under Kingdoms? Well if you live in a democracy for example you probably said to yourself, “Worship the President?” Or “Kiss the feet of the Prime Minister?” “No way!” Rightly so. “Worship” is only found in kingdoms.
This brings me to an interesting conclusion. At the beginning I mentioned that Worship is something every human being experiences; its universal and natural. I also mentioned that it is an experience that comes from within, or in other words, therapy for the soul. So, if all 6.7 billion of the people on planet earth have an inherent desire to worship something or someone, then, at the core of our very being, we must all be a part of a kingdom.
No matter where you go, people all over the world agree on one thing; there is good, and there is evil in the world. In general, religion divides people, but even religious people agree that there is both good and evil in the world; the line just gets a bit blurry when various religions define what they perceive as good and evil. All that aside, it is imperative to note then, that the world must be divided into two kingdoms; The Kingdom of Good, or Light, and the Kingdom of Evil, or Darkness. Because every human worships inherently, it is then undisputable that we worship under one of these two kingdoms.
For those of us that think, “Well, I don’t worship anything, so I don’t believe this.” The fact of the matter is, whatever controls you, you worship. You pay homage to it every time you succumb to it; You worship it because you ‘serve’ it, you flat out get on your face and kiss its feet, whatever or whoever it is. You could worship your car, jewelry, a pop star, an athlete, clothes, your self image. You worship whatever you’re addicted to or feel you can’t live without.
So, now that we have leveled the playing field back to, “everyone worship’s something or someone”. I ask you; Which kingdom do you worship under? The Kingdom of Light or the Kingdom of Darkness? You may say, “Oh, I’m a good person. I speak kindly to people, I give to the poor, I visit the sick, I pay my taxes. So I must be under the Kingdom of Light.” Well, not necessarily. See, the kingdom of Light, which is the Kingdom of God has less to do with outward acts and more to do with inward motives. This is why Jesus tells us in Luke 17:20 you can’t spot the kingdom in this thing or that thing, but that the Kingdom of God is within us. This is also why ‘worship’ comes from within, so if you claim to worship under the Kingdom of God, yet your heart is not set on a relationship with Him, your supposed acts of kindness are really empty customs and rituals. Jesus related a similar message in Matthew 15:8-9 when He said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain…” King Solomon, known as the wisest man of his time said in Proverbs 21:2, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” I agree, a pretty tough pill to swallow, but we both know that swallowing a pill is the only way to get better.
You know, I’m not sure about your idea of Jesus Christ. If you criticize Him based on the actions of everyone who call themselves “Christians”, it’s a chance you may have a bad taste in your mouth concerning Him. The word “Christian” today has more religious meaning than anything, and hear me when I say, JESUS DID NOT BRING A RELIGION; HE BROUGHT A GOVERNMENT. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.” [emphasis added] Notice how Jesus is referred to as “Wonderful Counselor”. It’s no wonder then that truly worshiping Him gets us the best therapy available… and it doesn’t cost us a dime!
People ask me, “Are you a Christian?” I tell them I don’t know what they interpret that word to mean, but you can be assured that I am a Citizen in Christ’s Kingdom. See, I have to differentiate because I personally know that Jesus is a great guy, He just has the worst PR people sometimes.
