2 Kings 4-6, Luke 24:36-53 Key Verses: Luke 24:50-53

Boiled down to its essential core, worship is a response. It is not an entertainment option we choose or an event we attend, but the essence of our lives as followers of Christ. Christ comes into our lives and we live out the remainder of our days in response to Him: He is, He acts; we respond, we worship.

The last thing Jesus did before returning to heaven was bless the disciples. Luke says that “while he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven” (v. 51). The blessing was the last thing. The first thing the disciples then did was worship Him.

That is the way we should live. Worship should be preeminent in our lives. This does not mean we must sit in a pew singing and praying, listening to preaching all day. It does mean that we live with an awareness of God, that we show how much we value Him in everything we say and do. For example, we are careful with our words because He tells us to be. When we do that it is an act of worship, because we are seeking to please Him.

We are honest in our business dealings in the same way, for the same reason. And of course there are the times we devote solely to worship, singing His praises.

The last thing Jesus did on earth was bless the disciples, and the first thing they did was worship Him. Like the disciples, put worship first.

_How well do you understand worship? As you read your Bible, look for the word, learn what the Bible says, and then live your life in response to God. “God, help me to desire to please You so my life may be an act of worship. ”_

Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in