“What is worship, really?”

The word worship comes from Latin, which, when directly translated, actually gives us worthship. True worship is not what I can get out of God, but showing what God is worth to me. You see, in Christ Jesus, we have already been blessed with “every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). In Christ Jesus, we already have “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). In Christ Jesus, we have been “made complete” (Colossians 2:10, NASB). We’ve been given everything; we are co-heirs with Christ—today. Right now, we possess an inheritance that will never spoil, perish, or fade.

Joy and contentment in the Christian life don’t come from getting more out of God because God has already given us everything. Joy and contentment come when we take hold of what He has already given us—sonship. Thus Paul tells us that, in view of God’s incredible mercy, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (see Romans 12:1). Paul isn’t talking about flesh and bone, but about surrendering everything we are to Christ: Where your body goes, there goes a living sacrifice. For, the more we give ourselves to God, the more we demonstrate that He is our treasure and delight. And this is our true and proper worthship.