1 Chronicles 16:23-43

“Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!” (1 Chronicles 16:29, NKJV)

We have been made to worship God. We find our center as humans when God is enthroned in the center of our lives. Those who will not worship can never enjoy their Creator.

David, probably more than any other human who has ever lived, understood the power and beauty of worship. He orchestrated and organized a team of singers and musicians so that the LORD could be ministered to at all times. As they worshiped God, they could count on His salvation, protection and provision.

David gives us a pattern for worship. First, we give because God first gave to us. He gave us life; He has given us a world to explore and enjoy; He has given us His only Son to save us from our sins. What can we give to Him in return? We can give Him the glory due His name! We can praise Him for who He is and for what He has done. We can choose Him as Sovereign Lord of our hearts.

Second, we can bring Him an offering. It is good to bring Him an offering of our substance, but it is even better to bring Him the offering of our lives—to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

Third, we worship Him in the beauty of holiness. We bow down before Him, adorning ourselves with holiness, because He is holy. He is glorious, so we approach Him with clean hands and a pure heart. We don’t come near with our mouths while our hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13).

According to the Westminster shorter catechism, the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. We do this by giving Him glory, bringing an offering, and worshiping in the beauty of holiness. Let us purpose in our hearts to do this today!