Worship is so much more than an emotional feeling

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer."

So I was reading Romans 12 in a study of worship, and I ran across this text. It began to speak to me. In the midst of Paul through Romans showing us this beautiful picture of the plan of God, he breaks into praise for God and His greatness.

"O how deep are God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his adviser? Or who has given him something only to have him pay it back? " For all things are from him, by him, and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen."

After this interlude of praise, he begins to instruct us in how we are to worship because of this great gift of Grace from the Father through the sacrifice of Jesus. I can almost hear him getting excited as he dictates this to the person assisting him. Caught up in the presence of God he begins to exclaim to us,

"I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is- what is proper, pleasing, and perfect."

He is pleading with us, "After hearing this great story of redemption that we now have experienced personally, our only natural response is to give ourselves fully to Gods ways and plans! To live this life as a servant of the Lord impacting those around us and giving what we have recieved so freely IS WORSHIP!!!" But it doesn't end there. He begins to speak of our lives not just as doers, but students continually learning from the master. He shows us we are not to conform to this world and it's selfishness, but to be transformed by the renewing of our hearts? No! It says our minds! Worship, although impacting to our souls and hearts, is a renewing of our thinking. When we come together our objective is to hear those words we sing, to hear those words spoken by whom ever is teaching, and to listen to the testimonies of Gods goodness spoken by others. We come together to see our thinking become like Jesus' thinking. Repentance isn't defined as a change of heart, but instead a change of mind.

Prov. 18:2 "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself."

In arother translation it say mind in place of heart, but in looking at the original word, it speaks primarily of that what is inside us. Our own personal understanding separate from the perfect understand of God.

Proverbs 28:26 "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,But he who walks wisely will be delivered."

We must seek to worship in spirit and truth. Not from our heart out, but from the Father inward. God is the initiator of all good things, the Spirit is the teacher of what we receive, and the mind renewed directs the heart in Gods ways. I've wrote enough for now, but the scripture I started with will have to wait until tomorrow. Remember though, Worship is a response to Gods goodness and simultaneously a renewing of our minds. A perfect circle :-)