Developing a Heart of Worship

Worship is seeing the glory and wonder of God and responding to it. I believe the more we respond to God with a heart of worship (expressed in variety of different ways), I believe the more God reveals to us about who He is, which ignites an even greater response. I think that is what you see in the life of Paul - both a growing desire to know God and a growing desire to empty himself (worship). Paul arguably had received more revealation of God in recorded history (by virtue of his writings), but effectively says in Philippians 3, "I want to know more." Paul saw God as someone who can do more than we could ever hope or imagine (Eph 3:20); who firmly saw our salvation as God's doing an not ours (Eph 2:8) and lived with the complete assurance that nothing could ever seperate him from the love God (Rom 8:38-39). This propelled him into a life of worship. A life of emptying himself (2 Tim 4:6-7). He was quick to say that his present sufferings (they were many - see 2 Cor 11:23-28) weren't worth comparing with glory that will be revealed (Rom 8:18). So he forsook everything else (worship) and kept his gaze on Christ. I think the more he let go of what would steal from God the worship due His name, the more he was able to see the beauty of Christ. I think this was the pattern that grew like a snowball in the life of Paul and can be the pattern of your life if you "...press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" - a wild-eyed, child-like pursuit of Him!