Week 2 - What on Earth Am I Here For Journal

PURPOSE #1 - I  Was Planned for God's Pleasure - WORSHIP

Day 8 - Planned for God's Pleasure

Bringing pleasure to God is called Worship. God did not need to create me but He chose to create me for his own enjoyment. I am not insignificant - I am loved and cherished by God. He created me for a reason - I exist for His benefit, I exist to be loved by Him, I exist for His glory, I exist to bring him Pleasure, I exist only for Him. So it is not about who I think I am, where I think I am , what I think I am, it is all about who God says I am, where God say I am, what God says I am.

Ephesians 1:5 - Because of His love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ He would make us His children. This was His pleasure and purpose

I bring pleasure to God by worshipping Him. Worship is anything that I do that brings pleasure to God. Worship is more than music, it is a lifestyle. Worship is not for my benefit, it is for God's benefit. Worship is  not part of my life, it is my life

Romans 12: 1 - Take your everyday ordinary life  - your sleeping. eating, going to work and walking around life and place it before God as an offering.

Day 9 - What Makes God Smile

The goal of my life is to live a life that will put a smile on God's face. To make God smile
  • I must love God more than anything else. God loves me and He wants me to love Him back. The only thing God wants from me is to love him and to have a relationship with him. (Hosea 6:6 - I don't want your sacrifices, I want your love. I don't want your offerings, I want you to know me.)
  • I must trust God completely. Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for my life, expecting Him to keep his promises, expecting Him to help with my problems, expecting him to do the impossible when necessary, trusting him even when it does not make sense. (Psalms 147:11 - He takes pleasure in those that honour Him, in those who trust in His constant love)
  • I must obey God wholeheartedly. Obedience is pleasing to God because it proves that I really love him. (John 14:15 - If you love me, you will obey my commandments)
  • I must praise and thank him continually. God smiles when I express my adoration and gratitude to Him (Psalms 69:30-31 - I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord)
  • I must use my abilities. God is not only pleased with me when I am doing spiritual activities like praying, reading my bible, but God actually enjoys watching every detail of my life whether I am working, playing, resting or eating. Every human activity except sin can be done for God's pleasure if I do it with an attitude of praise. (Psalms 33:15 - He has shaped each person in turn, now He watches everything we do)
Day 10 - The Heart of Worship

The heart of worship is surrender. It is a natural response to God's amazing love. Surrendering is offering myself completely to God. I can only surrender to God when I realise how much He loves me and if I trust Him. When I surrender my life to God, I am letting Him take over my life and trusting and relying on Him to work things out instead of forcing my own agenda. It is when I surrender my life to God that I will experience peace, freedom and God's power in my life.

Romans 12: 1 - So then my friends, because of God's great mercy to us offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the the true worship that you should offer.

Day 11- Becoming Best Friends with God

God yearns to be our friend. He desires a loving, close and trusting relationship with me. I can become best friends with God
  • Through constant conversation with Him. Everything I do can be "spending time with God" if God is invited to be a part of it and I stay awares of his presence
  • Thinking about God at different times in my day. Train my mind to remain on God
  • Thinking about his words throughout day. Mediate on His promises
Exodus 34:14 - He is a God who is passionate about His relationship with you.

Day 12 - Developing My Relationship with God

Developing my relationship with God is dependent on me. He has done His part and I need to do my part. I need to have the desire to develop my relationship with God. I need to be committed to developing my relationship with God, I need to make time for developing my relationship with God. I am as close to God as I choose to be. There is no magical formula to developing my relationship with God, all it takes is a desire, time and commitment.

To build a deeper friendship (relationship) with God, I must
  • Be honest with God about my faults and failings. There is no point in being unauthentic with God because he already knows my faults and failing.
  • Obey God in faith even when I don't understand it or it does not seem fair. I obey God not out of duty or fear but because I love him and trust that He knows what is best for me
  • I must value what God values and care about what God cares about
  • I must desire friendship with God more than anything. The focus of my life should be my friendship with God and it should be my top priority.
What changes can I make to have a deeper relationship with God
  • I must be honest with God about my fears, worries and feelings
  • I must make time to think about God and talk to Him throughout the day
  • I must remember to make breath prayers throughout the day
  • Pick a word or promise and think about it throughout the day
James 4:8 - Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.

Day 13 - Worship that Pleases God

Worship that pleases God is when I worship Him with ALL my hear, ALL my soul, ALL my mind and with ALL my strength. Half-heated, mindless, leftover worship is not pleasing to God. To please God my worship

  • Must be accurate. Worship God for who He truly is and not who I think He is
  • Must be authentic. Worship must be honest, genuine and heartfelt
  • Must be thoughtful. Worship that engages my mind, worship that is specific when praising God
  • Must be practical. Worship God with what I have - my body, strength and mind. Shift focus of me and to God, worship God even when I don't feel like it, when I am tired.
There is no one size fits all approach to worship and friendship with God. He wants you to be yourself when worshipping him. He created us all differently, so we will worship him differently. I should not expect my son to worship God the way I worship God because God created us differently and we will worship God differently.

John 4:23 - That is the kind pf people the Father is looking for, those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship

Day 14 - When God Seems Distant

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering while suffering and loving Him when He seems distant.

How can I praise God when I don't understand what is going on, when I am in pain, when God feels far ways
  • I tell God except how I feel
  • I focus on who God is - his unchanging nature and not the situation
  • I trust God to keep his promised
  • I remember what God has already done for me. He sent his son Jesus Christ to die a horrible death on the cross.
Jesus Christ gave up everything so I could have everything. He died so I could live forever. That act alone is worthy of my continued thanks and praise. Never again will I wonder if God loves me, never again will I wonder what in have to be thankful for

How can I stay focused on God's presence especially when He feels distant
  • I remember all He has done for me
  • I remember that He loves me
  • I focus on who God is - He is a good, good Father, He is all powerful, He is a might God, He is my fortress, He will save me, he has good plans for me
When God feels like a million miles away, always remember His promises. Hebrews 13:5 - God said, I will never leave you; I will never abandon you. God promises to never leave me, He did not promise that I will always feel his presence. In situations like this,  God's words matter more and my feelings don't matter. When I don’t feel God’s presence, it doesn’t mean He isn’t near, He is near because he promised never to leave or abandon me.  Don't trust your feelings, but trust God's love and God's promises that will never fail.

Overview

Worship is MY RESPONSE to God's love.
Worship is GIVING BACK to God
Worship is EXPRESSING MY AFFECTION to God
Worship is FOCUSING MY ATTENTION on God
Worship is USING MY ABILITIES for God

Real worship is a lifestyle/

Revelations 4:11 - You [God] created all things, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.

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