Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Like most people, I had tons of childhood dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be an astronaut, a policeman, even a lawyer. But the one that lasted the longest was my dream to be a famous musician. When I was in kindergarten, me and my brother convinced my parents to get us a piano. It seems like a crazy request, but what was crazier is my parents actually went out and bought a baby grand piano that is still in their living room to this day.
They also got us immediately into music lessons. My brother and I didn't like that so much but they made us continue to play. I'm so thankful that they did, because music is still such a powerful part of my life in a way that I don't think it would have been if I didn't have those lessons.
Dreams for Ourselves
As soon as I was free to stop taking those lessons, I thought, "You know what? Piano's not cool. I got to learn guitar. All the famous people can play guitar." I started learning guitar, and I found friends that were also learning instruments. We were listening to so many different types of music. We went through a Beatles phase, a Tom Petty phase, an Eagles and Chicago phase, and we just wanted to be like all these great musicians.
Now, if you haven't guessed up until this point, that dream didn't come to fruition. I'm not a famous musician and I'm thankful for it, but where I did get to lean into music is through worship ministry. I've gotten to play on some incredible teams, making beautiful music and praise to the Lord.
The True Nature of Worship
Worship is such an integral part of my life, because it goes so much deeper than even just the singing of songs or the playing of music. Worship is a posture of the heart, of the body, and of the soul aligning with God's will. Worship is the act of acknowledging that something is worthy of your time and your talents and your treasures. As followers of Jesus, we believe that God is only worthy of our worship.
Everyone—believer or nonbeliever—worships something. That's where my problem arose from over the years. Getting to play with these great teams in these great sanctuaries, I had slowly made worship more about fulfilling my dream to be a famous musician than I was spending that time glorifying God and making much of Him.
A Mentor's Wisdom
I sat down with a mentor who changed my whole perspective on how to think about worship. He explained that humans weren't created to worship because God needed praise, but rather He created us for worship because our hearts are just naturally inclined to worship something. I wasn't being careful in what I was worshiping, even on those worship teams. I had begun to worship myself.
That's why I love our verse today from John chapter 4. Jesus is talking to the woman at the well, an outcast of society, and He tells her this: "But the time is coming—indeed, it's here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way."
God Is Looking for True Worshipers
Our God is looking for true worshipers. Not just musicians, not just singers, not just people with all the gifts and talents and the skills that we envy. Those things are tools to make much of God. God has given us everything within ourselves to sing His praises, to worship in the power of the Spirit according to the truth of His word.
He wants people who will make much of Him in how they think and how they act and how they speak. We all worship something, so the only question for you today is: Who or what will you choose to worship?
