Praise and Worship

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I was giving some thought to praising God and what that means and how we do it. Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” There is a difference between praise and worship.

Praise is defined as honor rendered because of excellence or worth; joyful tribute of gratitude. (http://www.hydroponicsearch.com/spelling/simplesearch.php )

Worship is defined as adoration, acts of reverence (http://www.hydroponicsearch.com/spelling/simplesearch.php)

I kind of think of it as praise being the words we use to glorify God and worship being the condition of my heart while I am offering praise.

In church it can be easy to get distracted while we are singing. When that happens, we are singing praise songs (words) but our hearts are not worshipping. For us to be truly worshipping, we must be focused on what the words mean.

When we worship, we receive blessings. Probably the best blessing is that of a close relationship with God. When we worship him with our whole mind and heart, we draw close to him. When we draw close to Him, He draws close to us. (James 4:8) We surrender our will to His. We ask Him to speak to us. Then we have truly entered into worship.

We should praise Him and thank him in good times and in bad. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) We should seek first His kingdom. (Matthew 6:33) We should delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:4) What does it mean to delight in the Lord – I think it means to spend time with God. Spend time praising Him and everything else will work out. (Romans 8:28)

So, spend time with Him. Delight in Him. Trust in Him. Honor God with everything you do. Focus on Him when singing praise songs and truly worship Him.



James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
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