"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." - Mark 12:30 (NIV)
“God wants all of you.”
Welcome to Day 13 of our Purpose-Driven Life journey! A few days ago we explored the 4 essential keys to developing your friendship with God. Today, Rick Warren reveals what kind of worship actually pleases God and transforms your daily life into a continuous act of worship.
God’s All-or-Nothing Request
God doesn’t want a part of your life. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
God is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life. This might sound overwhelming, but it’s actually liberating—when you give God everything, you discover the joy of living with complete purpose and meaning.
A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. Jesus replied that these external issues are irrelevant. Where you worship is not as important as why you worship and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship.
The Right Way to Worship
There is a right and wrong way to worship. The Bible says, “Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him.” The kind of worship that pleases God has four essential characteristics that transform both your private devotions and your public gatherings.
Characteristic #1: God Is Pleased When Our Worship Is Accurate
People often say, “I like to think of God as…” and then they share their idea of the kind of God they would like to worship. But we cannot just create our own comfortable or politically correct image of God and worship it. That is idolatry.
Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture, not our opinions about God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
Why Accuracy Matters
To “worship in truth” means to worship God as He is truly revealed in the Bible. This means:
- Learning who God really is through His Word, not through popular culture or personal preferences
- Understanding His character as revealed in Scripture—His love, justice, mercy, holiness, and power
- Responding to His actual nature rather than a version of God we’ve created in our minds
When your worship is based on biblical truth, it has power and authenticity. When it’s based on misconceptions or wishful thinking, it becomes empty ritual.
Characteristic #2: God Is Pleased When Our Worship Is Authentic
When Jesus said you must “worship in spirit,” He wasn’t referring to the Holy Spirit, but to your spirit. Made in God’s image, you are a spirit that resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with Him. Worship is your spirit responding to God’s Spirit.
Genuine vs. Performance
When Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart and soul,” He meant that worship must be genuine and heartfelt. It is not just a matter of saying the right words; you must mean what you say. Heartless praise is not praise at all! It is worthless, an insult to God.
When we worship, God looks past our words to see the attitude of our hearts. The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Emotions in Worship
Since worship involves delighting in God, it engages your emotions. God gave you emotions so you could worship Him with deep feeling—but those emotions must be genuine, not faked. God hates hypocrisy. He doesn’t want showmanship or pretense or phoniness in worship. He wants your honest, real love.
We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship Him insincerely.
Both Heart and Head
Of course, sincerity alone is not enough; you can be sincerely wrong. That’s why both spirit and truth are required. Worship must be both accurate and authentic. God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.
Overcoming Worship Distractions
Today many equate being emotionally moved by music as being moved by the Spirit, but these are not the same. Real worship happens when your spirit responds to God, not to some musical tone. In fact, some sentimental, introspective songs hinder worship because they take the spotlight off God and focus on our feelings.
Your biggest distraction in worship is yourself—your interests and your worries over what others think about you.
Finding Your Authentic Worship Style
Christians often differ on the most appropriate way to express praise to God, but these arguments usually just reflect personality and background differences. Many forms of praise are mentioned in the Bible: confessing, singing, shouting, standing in honor, kneeling, dancing, making a joyful noise, testifying, playing musical instruments, and raising hands.
The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God, based on the background and personality God gave you.
Nine Sacred Pathways
Gary Thomas, in his book “Sacred Pathways,” identifies nine ways people naturally draw near to God:
- Naturalists are most inspired to love God outdoors, in natural settings
- Sensates love God with their senses and appreciate beautiful worship services
- Traditionalists draw closer to God through rituals, liturgies, and symbols
- Ascetics prefer to love God in solitude and simplicity
- Activists love God through confronting evil and working for justice
- Caregivers love God by loving others and meeting their needs
- Enthusiasts love God through celebration and excitement
- Contemplatives love God through quiet adoration and reflection
- Intellectuals love God by studying and learning with their minds
There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to worship and friendship with God. You don’t bring glory to God by trying to be someone He never intended you to be. God wants you to be yourself.
Characteristic #3: God Is Pleased When Our Worship Is Thoughtful
Jesus’ command to “love God with all your mind” is repeated four times in the New Testament. God is not pleased with thoughtless singing of hymns, perfunctory praying of clichés, or careless exclamations of “Praise the Lord.”
If worship is mindless, it is meaningless. You must engage your mind.
Avoiding Vain Repetitions
Jesus called thoughtless worship “vain repetitions.” Even biblical terms can become tired clichés from overuse, and we stop thinking about the meaning. It is so much easier to offer clichés in worship instead of making the effort to honor God with fresh words and ways.
Practical Ways to Make Worship Thoughtful
Expand Your Vocabulary: Try praising God without using the words praise, hallelujah, thanks, or amen. Instead of saying, “We just want to praise you,” use fresh words like admire, respect, value, revere, honor, and appreciate.
Be Specific: If someone approached you and repeated, “I praise you!” ten times, you would probably think, “For what?” You would rather receive two specific compliments than twenty vague generalities. So would God.
Focus on God’s Names: Make a list of the different names of God and focus on them. God’s names are not arbitrary; they tell us about different aspects of His character. In the Old Testament, God gradually revealed Himself by introducing new names for Himself.
Read Different Translations: Reading Scripture in different translations and paraphrases will expand your expressions of worship and help you see familiar truths in new ways.
Corporate Worship Considerations
God wants our corporate worship gatherings to be thoughtful, too. Paul devotes an entire chapter to this and concludes, “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
Related to this, God insists that our worship services be understandable to unbelievers when they are present. Paul observed, “Suppose some strangers are in your worship service, when you are praising God with your spirit. If they don’t understand you, how will they know to say, ‘Amen’?”
Being sensitive to unbelievers who visit your worship gatherings is a biblical command.
Characteristic #4: God Is Pleased When Our Worship Is Practical
The Bible says, “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Why Your Body Matters
Why does God want your body? Why doesn’t He say, “Offer your spirit”? Because without your body you can’t do anything on this planet. In eternity you will receive a new, improved, upgraded body, but while you’re here on earth, God says, “Give me what you’ve got!” He’s just being practical about worship.
You have heard people say, “I can’t make it to the meeting tonight, but I’ll be with you in spirit.” Do you know what that means? Nothing. It’s worthless! As long as you’re on earth, your spirit can only be where your body is. If your body isn’t there, neither are you.
Living Sacrifices
In worship we are to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” Now, we usually associate the concept of “sacrifice” with something dead, but God wants you to be a living sacrifice. He wants you to live for Him!
However, the problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar, and we often do that. We sing, “Onward, Christian Soldiers” on Sunday, then go AWOL on Monday.
What God Considers Worship Today
In the Old Testament, God took pleasure in the many sacrifices of worship because they foretold of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. Now God is pleased with different sacrifices of worship: thanksgiving, praise, humility, repentance, offerings of money, prayer, serving others, and sharing with those in need.
The Cost of Real Worship
Real worship costs. David knew this and said: “I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.”
One thing worship costs us is our self-centeredness. You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time. You don’t worship to be seen by others or to please yourself. You deliberately shift the focus off yourself.
Worship Takes Effort
When Jesus said, “Love God with all your strength,” He pointed out that worship takes effort and energy. It is not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will – a willing sacrifice. Passive worship is an oxymoron.
When you:
- Praise God even when you don’t feel like it
- Get out of bed to worship when you’re tired
- Help others when you are worn out
- Choose gratitude in difficult circumstances
- Serve others sacrificially
You are offering a sacrifice of worship to God. That pleases Him.
The Heart of Worship
Matt Redman, a worship leader in England, tells how his pastor taught their church the real meaning of worship. To show that worship is more than music, he banned all singing in their services for a period of time while they learned to worship in other ways.
By the end of that time, Matt had written the classic song “Heart of Worship”:
“I’ll bring You more than a song, because the song itself is not what You’ve required. You search much deeper within than the way things appear. You’re looking into my heart.”
The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
Living a Life of Worship
Understanding these four characteristics transforms how you approach both private and corporate worship:
Private Worship
- Make it accurate by grounding your devotions in Scripture
- Make it authentic by bringing your real emotions and honest struggles to God
- Make it thoughtful by engaging your mind and avoiding mindless routines
- Make it practical by offering your whole life—including your body—to God
Corporate Worship
- Engage with accurate biblical teaching and truth-based songs
- Participate authentically rather than just going through the motions
- Worship thoughtfully by focusing on the meaning behind the words and actions
- Make it practical by allowing worship to transform how you live the rest of the week
Your Worship Challenge This Week
- Monday: Focus on accuracy – Spend time reading about God’s character in Scripture. Worship Him for who He truly is, not who you wish He was.
- Tuesday: Practice authenticity – Be completely honest with God about your current emotions and circumstances. Let your worship reflect your real heart.
- Wednesday: Make it thoughtful – Avoid clichés in your prayers and praise. Use specific words and focus on particular aspects of God’s character.
- Thursday: Live practically – Offer your body to God through acts of service. Let your physical actions become worship.
- Friday-Sunday: Integrate all four characteristics in both your private devotions and corporate worship experiences.
The Life-Changing Question
As you go through this week, ask yourself: “Is my worship pleasing to God, or is it just pleasing to me?”
This question will help you evaluate:
- Whether your worship is based on truth or preference
- If you’re being genuine or just performing
- Whether you’re engaging your mind or just your emotions
- If your worship is changing how you live
Day 13 Reflection Questions:
Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.
Verse to Remember: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." – Mark 12:30 (NIV)
Question to Consider: Which is more pleasing to God right now—my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about this?
Your Worship Challenge:
This week, evaluate your worship using the four characteristics:
- Accurate – Is it based on biblical truth?
- Authentic – Does it come from your heart?
- Thoughtful – Are you engaging your mind?
- Practical – Is it changing how you live?
Choose one area that needs improvement and take specific steps to make your worship more pleasing to God. Journal about what you discover.
Tomorrow’s Preview:
Having learned what kind of worship pleases God, tomorrow we’ll explore how to worship God through your life circumstances—discovering that every moment, whether joyful or difficult, can become an opportunity for meaningful worship.
Which of these four characteristics of worship challenges you most? How might focusing on worship that pleases God (rather than worship that pleases you) change your spiritual life? Share your insights below as we continue discovering what it means to live for God’s pleasure.
Learn more about Day 13 on Purpose Driven.
John Thole is the voice behind Beyond Salvation, a blog that captures the highs and lows of life through faith, laughter, and honest reflection. With a passion for storytelling, technology, and spiritual growth, he creates content that resonates with seekers, believers, and anyone navigating life’s journey. Whether sharing personal insights, devotionals, or thought-provoking discussions, John aims to inspire, uplift, and spark meaningful conversations.
