“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
“Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me, to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” Zechariah 2:7-8
Worship can be described in many ways and through many examples: thanksgiving, praise, adoration, love, magnification, encouraging others, helping others, etc. However, the key to making all of these righteous deeds more than just filthy rags is first receiving from the Lord for ourselves what we’re trying to give Him in return.
The best way to get pure and undefiled worship to come out of our hearts is to first gaze on the beauty of His holiness. It doesn’t come from a perfect ambiance setting. It doesn’t come from your favorite worship songs. It doesn’t come from life’s good circumstances. It doesn’t come from your “face like flint” attitude. While none of those things are necessarily bad, when it comes to Face to face worship with God they fall short.
1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” I have tried to love God through my own ability. Through legalism I put myself on a strict schedule to spend quiet times with the Lord. While I am totally FOR quiet times with Him, I must clarify that my heart’s attitude behind it was out of self-righteousness. The end result was frustration and guilt because I couldn’t meet my perfect law. Remember that Jesus never commanded us to spend quiet times with Him. Who would ever command their spouse to spend time with him/her? That’s not real love! However, we do see Jesus often times slipping away from his disciples and the crowds to get one-on-one with His Father.
Zechariah 2:7-8 tells us to “Escape to Zion…(you are) the apple of His eye”. This verse so beautifully describes how our love relationship with God should be like. It shouldn’t be “how much time do I have to spend with God to be godly?”. It should be “I wish I didn’t have to go to work (school) today so I could just stay in the presence of Your awesome love!”.
The old saying is true, “It takes God to love God.” When we first get a fresh revelation of who He is, we are then capable of giving Him a sacrifice that is worthy before Him. We realize the greatness of who He is and the tininess of who we are. We realize the vastness of His love and the deep emptiness of our souls without Him. So, if you’re interested in getting real and putting aside boring religion – escape to Zion.
