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  WORSHIPING GOD WITH ALL WE ARE
  by A.W. Tozer
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Summary: True worship is the love of God, and it requires all of our
heart, soul, and might.

Topics: "Love for God", "Worship"
Scripture References: Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalm 95:6, Psalm 100:2, Matthew 22:37, John 4:24, Romans 5:5, 2 Corinthians 5:13-14, Colossians 3:23, Hebrews 12:28-29, 1 John 4:19

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DESCRIPTION
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A.W. Tozer emphasizes that true worship encompasses love, admiration,
wonder, and adoration, with love being the essence of worship as taught
in both the Old and New Testaments. He highlights that loving God with
all our heart, soul, and might is the foundation of worship, as stated
in Scripture. Tozer explains that love is both a principle and an
emotion, capable of growing from a small spark to an overwhelming force,
much like the experience of the apostle Paul. He asserts that genuine
worship cannot exist without love for God, and that God desires our
complete devotion. Through deeper experiences with God and the Holy
Spirit's guidance, we can learn to offer Him our fullest love in
worship.

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CONTENT
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In worship several elements may be distinguished, among them love,
admiration, wonder and adoration. Though they may not be experienced in
that order, a little thought will reveal those elements as being present
wherever true worship is found. Both the Old and the New Testament teach
that the essence of true worship is the love of God. ?Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy might.? Our Lord declared this to be the sum of the Law and the
Prophets. Now, love is both a principle and an emotion; it is something
both felt and willed. It is capable of almost infinite degrees.

Love in the human heart may begin so modestly as to be hardly
perceptible and go on to become a raging torrent that sweeps its
possessor before it in total helplessness. Something like this must have
been the experience of the apostle Paul, for he felt it necessary to
explain to his critics that his apparent madness was actually the love
of God ravishing his willing heart. It is quite impossible to worship
God without loving Him. Scripture and reason agree to declare this. And
God is never satisfied with anything less than all: ?all thy heart . . .
all thy soul . . . all thy might.?

This may not at first be possible, but deeper experience with God will
prepare us for it, and the inward operations of the Holy Spirit will
enable us after a while to offer Him such a poured-out fullness of love.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/aw-tozer/worshiping-god-with-all-we-are/
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