Worthiness and Worship

Revelation 4

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11.

After we read the letters to the churches in chapters 2-3, we come to some amazing sights. Verse 1 says that John saw a doorway open in Heaven! It isn’t that some angel forgot to close it, but John was meant to experience the glory and wonders of Heaven even before he was able to see the coming devastation of Earth.

This would have been a dream come true for him. Do you ever think about the greatness of Heaven? Colossians 3:1 tells us to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Heaven should be like the “environment,” or context, for our thoughts. Thinking in earthly terms only allows us to see a moment, with its anxiety, worry, and struggle. Heavenly thoughts? They remind us that all is worthwhile (Romans 8:18).

But of course the glory of Heaven is the glory of God. John spends some time trying to make this picture for us as vivid as possible. The elders in this chapter cast their crowns before God’s throne—showing that whatever honor or reward they receive they forthwith give to Him (as in 2 Timothy 4:8).

What are you giving to God? Worship is not just the few songs we hear before the message. Worship is giving everything. It begins with worthiness. If something has worth, we will invest time and effort into it. So we have to ask: how do we invest our time?

Seeing this glimpse of Heaven should help us decide our priorities. Notice all this worship wasn’t forced. It was a choice—though a no-brainer, seeing God’s glory. Though we can’t see God with our eyes, we should worship him here while walking earth, still understanding the magnitude of his glory though Jesus Christ. Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”

As they praise God in Heaven, we should praise him on Earth. Now that’s faith.

By Jared Saavedra