As we live the new life and walk in love, the Apostle Paul tells us a lot about what our attitude toward worship should be in Ephesians 5:18-21.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Notice what Paul says here: what we do in worship is important. Singing is important. Giving thanks is important. That’s not all that he tells us in this passage, though.
Paul also says that Who we worship matters. When we come together, we should be filled with the Spirit. When we are addressing one another in songs, we are really singing to the Lord. When we are giving thanks, it is to God the Father.
Worship isn’t like a school club or a business meeting. It isn’t like a concert or movie we go to see for our entertainment. Worship is something we do. It is something that we – filled with the Spirit – offer to God the Father because we are in Christ.
That’s why it is so important we don’t miss what Paul tells us about how we worship. The melody we make to the Lord is with our hearts. We are mentally and emotionally connecting with the words we sing. We give thanks always and for everything. We are looking for and appreciating all that God has done. Because of who Jesus is and all that He has given for us, we are submitting to one another. We are focused on building each other up, not grumbling about departures from our personal preferences.
The more we personally develop the heart of worship, the more we’ll benefit from being worshipers: to God be the glory!