Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Psalm 95:6

In worship we express our love for God; we honor and adore Him "for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care" (Psalm 95:7).

We can worship God in public and in private. In either case, faith and a feeling of gratitude to God for His blessings motivate our worship.

Worship involves thanksgiving and praise. "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise," the psalmist invites (Psalm 100:4). Worship includes great joy and yearning for God. "How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Psalm 84:1-2).

Sometimes these feelings are not as strong as they should be. But the more we worship with our fellow Christians, the more the joy will come -- through Scripture reading, the Lord's Supper, the pastor's message, prayer, hymns of praise, and the encouragement of fellow Christians.

We do not go to church because we have to. We go to thank and praise God and to receive new spiritual strength in Christ through Word and sacraments.

PRAYER: Dear Father in heaven, give us joy in worship. We know that You love us, and we love You for our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)

Today's Bible Readings: 2 Kings 22-23    Galatians 6

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