A Worshiper of God is an Adorer of God

 "The surrendered heart has no more controversy with God." AW Tozer

Tozer is one of my favorite worship theologians, hands down. When I read Tozer I feel like the Holy Spirit lovingly takes a 2X4 and continually whacks me in the face with it. For me, this is fun, healing, cleansing...is that weird?! Tozer brings me back to square one, the foundation. I feel like when I read his books on worship, any peripheral thoughts and tangents on worship that don't belong get swept away and I'm returned to a pure & simplistic understanding and practice of what it means to be a worshiper of Jesus. 

I have long understood that worship cannot be separated from obedience to God. Our modern culture and sadly, much of the modern Western church does not teach this. Worship has become a time segment of ritual emotional song singing that leaves us unchanged, yet feeling pretty good about ourSELVES. It lacks reverence, awe and has created a current generation of people who casually approach the God of heaven and who dare worship if only they feel like it, as if it's all about them. I am not perfect in my obedience to Jesus. I still need a work of reverence in my heart, reminders that I serve the Maker of all things. Yet, I have experienced seasons in my life when God, in His mercy, filled my heart with fear and awe of Him to the extent that I knew if I disobeyed, if I chose my way rather than His way, my life would have severe consequences. That sounds harsh, right? Actually, those seasons are the most beautiful to me because those were times when I experienced His holiness, my lack of holiness and His great love for me in spite of it.  I learned that when I surrendered my desires and plans for His desires and plans, I had peace. I had strength. I had a closeness with Jesus that I could find no other way. God is attracted to obedience and surrender. He draws near to obedience and surrender. Obedience and surrender is sacrifice. It looks like His Son, Jesus. There is nothing more pleasing, more overwhelming to the Father's heart than His Son. Jesus said (John 10:30) that He and the Father are one. He also said, "I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father (John 14:31)."  The obedient, surrendered heart has no controversy, no separation from God. That heart is one with God's heart. The obedient, surrendered heart is walking the same path to Golgotha, the same direction that God is walking. The obedient, surrendered heart is not living their life while merely giving God a segment of it. 

When I read words, similar to what I've written in that last paragraph, the temptation is to turn to striving or religious legalism to attain an obedient, surrendered heart. But this is not the way. Look again at what Jesus said in John 14:31. He obeys God so that all will know He loves God. Love for God is the precursor to obedience to God. And this is where a true worshiper is birthed. Tozer writes:

       "The simple truth is that worship is elementary until it begins to take on the quality of admiration. Just as long as a worshiper is engrossed with himself and his good fortune, he is a babe. We begin to grow up when our worship passes from thanksgiving to admiration." 

The movement from thanksgiving to admiration or adoring God, moves us from worshiping God for what He does for us to who He is. Thanksgiving is just the entrance of worship (Psalm 100:4)...a necessary entrance! But when it comes to God's presence, I don't want to stay around the exit doors. I want to run in as far as I can go, deeper and deeper still. The more I encounter who He is, the more I love Him. The adoring heart is one who is experiencing who He is. It creates a deeper worship, a deeper commitment, a deeper passion and longing. Obedience and surrender for the adoring heart becomes life, like breathing. To know Jesus is to surrender to Jesus. There is no other natural response. Are you struggling to obey today? To surrender an aspect of your life, your habits, your desires? Quit trying. Run past thanksgiving at the gates of His presence and seek to know Him intimately. The result will transform you into an adorer of God. 

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