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Parasol of True Worship: Your Divine Covering

We’ve begun to see how, in similar fashion to a parasol or umbrella, our worship of God grants us a protective covering that allows us to linger in His holy presence and endure the various testings of our faith. We looked at how it is the truth of the divine Word of God (the tube or shaft) that provides the support system needed to experience real, godly worship, and we learned that it is only by clinging to Christ (the handle) that the true believer can gain access to the holy Father. In this article we will examine the ribs of this tool.

The ribbing of a parasol or umbrella is an extension of this device’s support system. Its primary function is to provide the canopy with sustained form and the ability to protect the user from the elements, much like most vertebrates’ bodies.

You see, human-beings require bony, cartilaginous rods to provide form for the walls of their torsos and protection of their vital organs. Our worship must also be reinforced in like manner, so that the acts of our worship are properly sustained and the worshiper is also provided with adequate protection from various spiritual elements. The ribs of our “parasol of true worship” are equal to what the Scriptures call our “spirit of worship,” or our “attitude of worship.”

A “spirit of worship” is simply a spiritual motivation. It focuses our spirits on Christ and allows us to act as He calls us to. It’s what kept Jesus focused on the Father’s will for His life, and Scripture calls us to do the same. Look with me at these two verses from John, chapter four:

“A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)

These are the words of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Word, to the Samaritan woman, whom He met at Jacob’s well. Christ was telling the Samaritan woman that real worship doesn’t happen in a physical place simply because that place has been declared a venue of worship. True worship can only take place from a spiritual origin, and it must be founded on truth.

Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), as we explained in our previous article. No one can approach the holy Father without Christ, and no one can worship the Father without a spiritual mindset or “attitude of worship.” Our spiritual attitude of worship must be focused on Jesus Christ. Allow me to share another analogy from a previous series of ours entitled Living Your True Purpose, as it explains so clearly what an “attitude of worship” is. The analogy begins by explaining how various ships are piloted:

“There are several ways to pilot a ship, whether that craft is designed for the water ways or the air ways, but one of the main tools used are the navigational instruments. A water vessel can use up to thirty different types. The main ones, which have been used for centuries, are the compass, the charts (a.k.a.: the maps), and the stars. An air ship uses many instruments for flying, as well, and one of those tools is known as an ‘attitude indicator,’ or an ‘AI.’

An AI (pictured above) is an instrument used aboard an aircraft to inform the pilot of the aircraft’s orientation, as it relates to the Earth’s horizon. The attitude indicator will denote pitch (fore and aft tilt), and bank or roll (side to side tilt), and it is a primary instrument for flight while in the midst of poor weather (a.k.a.: instrument meteorological conditions). If the pilot maintains a good attitude then there should be little concern for a failed flight, but should a poor attitude become a part of the aircraft’s heading then danger will soon have to be dealt with. The same goes for us, as true worshipers.

We cannot endure to the end, through all of life’s trials and hardships, if we do not maintain a right attitude in our worship. In fact, it is only by worshiping God in all our circumstances (both good and bad) that we can hope to achieve and maintain a right attitude of worship. A poor attitude, where worship is concerned, is simply us moving from being a true worshiper of God to being a true worshiper of self. Without God to guide our ‘pitch’ and ‘banks or rolls’ we will surely crash and burn, and don’t even think about trying to navigate through a ‘storm’ without a right attitude.

So how can we hope to have such an attitude in this life? By modeling our attitude after the only perfect man who ever lived — God’s son — Jesus Christ. A true worshiper must have a Christlike attitude (Philippians 2:5-8); one that encompasses all aspects of their lives. You see, an attitude of worship will both prepare us for worshiping God and set the stage for our response to God after we have begun worshiping Him.”

Are you clinging to the truth of Christ as you worship (the tube/shaft and handle)? Are your acts of worship supported by a Christlike attitude (the ribs)? If not, then I encourage you to take hold of Jesus and focus your spirit on Him.

Parasol of True Worship: Your Divine Covering by J.Scott Harden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at jasonmin.wordpress.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.jsnmin.org/.

Living Your True Purpose by J. Scott Harden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at jasonmin.wordpress.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.jsnmin.org.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

If your church or organization would like to talk with J. Scott Harden about a speaking engagement, or a writing project, please get in touch with Mr. Harden through Jason Ministries‘ Twitter account or Facebook page.