“By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified<\/em>” (Leviticus 10:3).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It is easy to come to worship without thinking deeply about why we gather. For many, attending services has become second nature-we come because it is what we have always done. For others, coming together is a deliberate choice made out of love and commitment to God. Still, there are times when some attend with little thought.<\/p>\n
Yet Scripture reminds us that worship is never casual in God’s eyes. The Lord declares, “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy<\/em>.” Worship is not primarily about routine, convenience, or tradition. It is about honoring God with reverence and a heart centered on Him.<\/p>\n
Our attitude in worship begins with our view of God. If we truly understand His holiness, our approach will reflect respect, humility, and sincerity. Some in Corinth lost sight of this and turned worship into something careless and self-centered (I Corinthians 11:17-21). Others, like the church at Ephesus, struggled with losing their zeal (Revelation 2:4). But the proper spirit of worship is seen in the psalmist’s words: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’<\/em>” (Psalms 122:1).<\/p>\n
Reverence grows when we remember that God is present. When Abraham encountered the Lord, he fell on his face (Genesis 17:3). Moses hid his face before God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5-6). That awareness of God’s presence produces a sober mind, a humble spirit, and a heart prepared to honor Him. With this attitude, it should shape our practice. Worship is not limited to the assembly-it includes private prayer, personal praise, and daily devotion. But when the church gathers, we come together for a special purpose: to remember Christ, to pray, to sing, to study, and to encourage one another.<\/p>\n
Because worship matters, we should examine our priorities. Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us not to neglect assembling together. Too often, it becomes easy to find reasons not to come or to treat worship lightly. Instead, our lives should reflect that time with God and His people is a priority, not an afterthought.<\/p>\n
Our example also influences others. Parents are shaping their children’s understanding of worship by their attitude and preparation. Children learn reverence when they see it practiced at home and in the assembly. Likewise, fellow Christians and visitors notice whether our worship reflects focus and respect or distraction and indifference.<\/p>\n
Consider the difference. In one congregation, people arrive prepared, aware of God’s presence, and engaged with reverence. In another, worship is treated casually-lateness, distraction, and convenience shape the atmosphere. The difference is not the building or the program-it is the heart.<\/p>\n
The consequences are significant. Reverent worship strengthens faith, teaches the next generation, and honors God. Casual worship weakens spiritual focus and diminishes our influence.<\/p>\n
As we gather each week, let us remember why we come. We come to glorify a holy God. May our attitude be centered on Him, our hearts filled with reverence, and our worship offered with sincerity and joy.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by David A. Cox via Market Street Messenger “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified” (Leviticus 10:3). It is easy to come to worship without thinking deeply about why we gather. For many, attending services has become second nature-we come because…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1079,84],"class_list":["post-94292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-reverence","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60526,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/true-reverence-for-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":94292,"position":0},"title":"True Reverence for God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gilbert Alexander A man dressed in splendid robes, with chains of gold about his neck and a great ring of gold on his finger, stands before a multitude of people, an ornate miter upon his head. In one hand, he holds a golden censer with burning incense in it,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/Pope-300x242.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":94663,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/flip-flops-short-shorts-and-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":94292,"position":1},"title":"Flip-Flops, Short Shorts and Worship","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Charles Box Our dress in worship is not a \"fashion show.\" But, is it possible to become too casual, too indiscreet, or too revealing in our manner of dress when we gather for worship? Recently, we were visiting a Wednesday night church service, and near us sat a girl\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61203,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/worship-the-emotional-component\/","url_meta":{"origin":94292,"position":2},"title":"Worship: The Emotional Component","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Warren E. Berkley \"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth,\"\u00a0(John 4:24). Every element of true worship involves some emotional component. The emotional component is not driven by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit (as in Calvinism) or \"getting the Holy Spirit\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51840,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-everything-we-do-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":94292,"position":3},"title":"Is Everything We Do Worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Harold Hancock A Christian should try to please God in everything he does, but everything a Christian does is not worship. For instance, a Christian may travel, work, rest, and sleep with God's approval, but he is not worshipping God when he does these things In the New Testament,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15107,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/worshiping-in-song\/","url_meta":{"origin":94292,"position":4},"title":"Worshiping in Song","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Colossians 3:16-17 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In many congregations, singing is not consider a very important aspect of worship. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Think about it; when the Lord\u2019s Supper is being served or a prayer is being given, few people would think about leaving the assembly to visit the restrooms, but it commonly happens during\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92957,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/spectators-or-worshipers\/","url_meta":{"origin":94292,"position":5},"title":"Spectators or Worshipers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Cleve Stafford It would be in the interest of everyone who requires church to be entertaining to remember the following: God is not interested in spectators. He is not honored by emotional highs that disappear by Monday morning and remain hidden until some band or light show raises them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94292\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}