Graced to Worship

What is grace? Some might describe it as the generosity of God being extended to us even when we do not deserve it. Yet, grace is so much deeper. I believe grace can best be understood when we view it as the empowering Spirit of God to do what we can never accomplish on our own. Merriam-Webster offers the following definitions for the word grace:

a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

b : a virtue coming from God

c : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

Colossians 3:16 admonishes us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” I especially love the last part that emphasizes “singing with grace in your heart” because it is a sweet reminder that even when we bring our worship to God, it is only because of His grace that we can express our love for Him with genuine hearts.

Even in worship, some struggle with striving, a spirit of religion and comparison. When we go before God in private or public worship, we must always remember that it is only because of His empowerment through the Holy Spirit that we are able to approach His presence and offer our worship. Were it not for His grace, even our attempts to worship would be a work of our flesh. God desires pure worship from us. We can’t produce that purity on our own accord. To do so would be to perform, and God would not accept our offering.

When we are “Graced to Worship” we are empowered to be our truest, most transparent, authentic self. There are no pretenses because it is God’s spirit that gives us the ability to enter into His presence. We want God’s grace for everything in our life, and worship is no different in this regard. We don’t have to pretend to be someone we’re not, and we can be free to relate to God with the uniqueness each one of us shares as a result of the personal relationship we cherish with The Father. Our talents and gifts, though may be a blessing to the Body of Christ, are to be dedicated to God for His glory. When we worship, our motive should be to see an audience of one in Jesus, and our desire should be to touch His heart and bring heaven on earth. Only when we are graced to worship can we truly be moved by and move in the Spirit of God. Rest in God’s grace so that your worship is complete in Him.