(Luke 10:38-42 CEV)
The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”
The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Lk. 10:38-42, CEV)
(Acts 18:7)
Paul then moved into the house of a man named Titius Justus, who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue.
EXPOSITION
True worshippers are rare today among the modern church adherents. Most so called worshippers and worship service are mere formalism and psychedelic.
Like the time of the woman of Sychar, a Samaritan city in the account of the gospel of Jesus according to John the apostle. Worship had been turned to mere religious exercise without regeneration. It was confined to places and programs, (Jn. 4:19-24).
Jesus made it explicitly clear to her and all that:
1. That worship involves knowledge. It isn't vague or psychedelic, true worshippers must be fully aware of what it is and who is worshiped. (Jn. 4:22; cf. II Pet. 3:18).
2. Worship is soteriological. We worship Christ the Saviour Who redeemed us to God by His blood. Only the saved people are true worshippers. (Jn. 4: 22; Rev. 5:8-14).
3. Worship is spiritual. "But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth..."(Jn. 4:23). Carnally minded believers can't worship God acceptably. 5 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God." ( Rom. 8:5-8)
4. Worship must be in truth. Jesus is the subject of our worship. " Jesus said to him, ' I am the way, truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (Jn. 14:6) No one deserves to be worshiped (See Rev. 22:8-9). He must be worshiped in all sincerity, faithfulness and holiness of life.
5. God seeks true worshippers to worship Him (Jn.4:23). He will never accept vague, unspiritual and unscriptural, carnal and formalistic worship.
The bible is inundated with the true worshippers such as Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus and Titius Justus.
Mary unlike her sister Martha is distracted with much serving and worried and troubled about many things despite being in the presence of the One who is the subject of our worship.
Many are like Martha today, worrying about the programs, church service, meetings without given due attention to the Lord and His word. *"But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her"
Justus was described as one who worshiped God, whose house was next to the synagogue (Acts 18:7). One's house may be close to the church and yet his heart is far away from God. The two sons of Eli readily comes to mind here. They were statutorily empower to carry the ark of God's covenant without knowing the Lord (I Sam. 2:12). They lived in the house of God unlike Justus who lived next to it yet they were not true worshippers. Their worries were the ephemeral things of life. True worshippers seek God and not gold.
Worrying get you distracted from God, it disturbs your peace of mind even as a child of God. Worrying does not solve anything but rather troubles your heart and makes you unease. Worriers ended up loosing their happiness, salvation and ultimately their lives.
Are you a worshipper or a worrier? God seeks true worshippers and not worriers.