True Worship Will Add to Your Happiness

1-2. What will make our worship acceptable to God?

WHAT do you think of when you hear the word “worship”? Perhaps you picture a humble brother kneeling at his bedside as he pours his heart out in earnest prayer. Or maybe you think of a happy family thoroughly absorbed in Bible study.

² In both cases, those involved are engaged in acts of worship. Will Jehovah accept their worship? He will if it is in harmony with his purpose and is being offered with love and respect. We love Jehovah very much. We know that he deserves to be worshipped, and we want our gift of worship to be of the best possible quality.

 3. What will we consider in this article?

³ In this article, we will review the kind of worship that Jehovah accepted in ancient times and we will consider eight aspects of acceptable worship today. As we do so, we can think about how we personally can improve the quality of our worship. We will also review reasons why true worship makes us happy.

 4. How did worshippers of Jehovah in pre-Christian times demonstrate their respect and love for Jehovah?

⁴ In pre-Christian times, such faithful men as Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Job demonstrated their respect and love for Jehovah. How? By means of their obedience, faith, and sacrifices. The Bible does not provide specifics about what form their worship should have taken. But they clearly did their best to honor Jehovah, and their worship was acceptable to him. Jehovah then gave the Mosaic Law to Abraham’s descendants. This series of laws included specific instructions about how to worship Jehovah in a way that he approved.

 5. What change was made as to true worship after Jesus’ death and resurrection?

⁵ After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jehovah no longer required obedience to the Mosaic Law. (Rom. 10:4) Christians were to follow a new law, “the law of the Christ.” (Gal. 6:2) They could obey this “law,” not by memorizing it and adhering to a long list of dos and don’ts, but by imitating Jesus’ example and following his teachings. Today, too, Christians do their best to follow the Christ in order to please Jehovah and “find refreshment” for themselves.​—Matt. 11:29.

 6. How can we benefit from this article?

⁶ As we consider each aspect of our worship, ask yourself, ‘What progress have I made in this regard?’ You might also ask, ‘Can I improve the quality of my worship?’ You should feel good about the progress you have made, but you will want to give prayerful thought to any improvements you need to make.

 7. How does Jehovah view our heartfelt prayers?

⁷ We worship Jehovah when we pray to him. The Scriptures compare our prayers to the carefully prepared incense that was offered at the tabernacle and later at the temple. (Ps. 141:2) That incense produced an aroma that was pleasing to God. Similarly, our heartfelt prayers are “a pleasure” to him, even if we use very simple words. (Prov. 15:8; Deut. 33:10) We have good reason to believe that it warms Jehovah’s heart to hear us express our love and gratitude to him. He wants us to share with him our concerns, our hopes, and our desires. Before approaching Jehovah in prayer, why not give careful thought to what you are going to say? In doing so, you will offer the best possible “incense” to your heavenly Father.

 8. What fine opportunity do we have to praise God?

⁸ We worship Jehovah when we praise him. (Ps. 34:1) We praise Jehovah by speaking appreciatively of his marvelous qualities and his works. Praise springs from a grateful heart. By taking the time to meditate on Jehovah’s goodness​—on all the things he has done for us—​we will never run out of reasons to praise him. The preaching work gives us an especially fine opportunity to “offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips.” (Heb. 13:15) Just as we should give careful thought to what we are going to say before approaching Jehovah in prayer, we do well to think carefully about what we will say to those we come in contact with in our ministry. We want our “sacrifice of praise” to be our very best. We speak from our heart when we share the truth with others.

 9. Like the ancient Israelites, how do we benefit by meeting together? Give a personal example.

⁹ We worship Jehovah when we attend meetings. The ancient Israelites were told: “Three times a year, all your males should appear before Jehovah your God in the place that he chooses.” (Deut. 16:16) They had to leave their home and their crops unguarded. But Jehovah promised them: “Nobody will desire your land while you are going up to see the face of Jehovah your God.” (Ex. 34:24) With full faith in Jehovah, those God-fearing Israelites attended the yearly festivals. They could thus reap rich rewards; they broadened their understanding of God’s Law, meditated on his goodness, and enjoyed encouraging association with fellow believers. (Deut. 16:15) We receive similar benefits when we make sacrifices to attend Christian meetings. And think of how pleased Jehovah is when we come prepared to offer brief, meaningful comments.

10. How is singing an important part of our worship?

¹⁰ We worship Jehovah when we join in song. (Ps. 28:7) The Israelites considered singing to be an important part of their worship. King David assigned 288 Levites to be singers at the temple. (1 Chron. 25:1, 6-8) Today, we can express our love for God when we sing songs of praise. The quality of our voice is not the most important thing. Consider this comparison: When we speak, “we all stumble many times,” but that does not prevent us from speaking in the congregation and in the ministry. (Jas. 3:2) Similarly, we should not allow concerns about the imperfections of our singing voice to prevent us from singing praises to Jehovah.

11. As described at Psalm 48:13, why should we schedule time for family Bible study?

¹¹ We worship Jehovah when we study his Word and teach our children about him. The Sabbath gave the Israelites the opportunity to set aside their day-to-day activities and concentrate on their relationship with Jehovah. (Ex. 31:16, 17) Faithful ones among them taught their children about Jehovah and his goodness. We personally ought to schedule time to read and study God’s Word. This is part of our worship to Jehovah, and it helps us draw closer to him. (Ps. 73:28) And when we study together as a family, we can help a new generation​—our children—​to develop a warm, personal relationship with our loving heavenly Father.​—Read Psalm 48:13.

12. What do we learn from how Jehovah viewed the work of those who made the furnishings of the tabernacle?

¹² We worship Jehovah as we build and maintain places of worship. The Bible says that the work of making the tabernacle and its furnishings was “holy work.” (Ex. 36:1, 4) Today, too, Jehovah views the work of constructing Kingdom Halls and other theocratic facilities as sacred service. Some brothers and sisters spend much time engaging in these activities. Do we not appreciate this vital contribution to the Kingdom work? Of course, they also engage in the preaching work. Some of them may even want to be pioneers. Congregation elders can show their support for the construction activities by not hesitating to appoint these hardworking men and women as pioneers when they qualify. Whether we are skilled in construction work or not, all of us can share in keeping the buildings clean and in good repair.

13. How should we view the donations we make to support the Kingdom work?

¹³ We worship Jehovah when we support the Kingdom work with our donations. The Israelites were not to appear before Jehovah empty-handed. (Deut. 16:16) They were to bring a material gift according to their circumstances. Thus they expressed their appreciation for all the arrangements that had been made to benefit them spiritually. How can we express our love for Jehovah and our appreciation for the spiritual provisions we receive? One way is by giving financial support to the local congregation and to the worldwide work as our circumstances allow. The apostle Paul put it this way: “If the readiness is there first, it is especially acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what a person does not have.” (2 Cor. 8:4, 12) Jehovah values any heartfelt donation we make, no matter how modest the amount.​—Mark 12:42-44; 2 Cor. 9:7.

14. According to Proverbs 19:17, how does Jehovah view the help we give to our brothers in need?

¹⁴ We worship Jehovah when we help fellow Christians who are in need. Jehovah promised to repay Israelites who showed favor to the poor. (Deut. 15:7, 10) Yes, each time we help a fellow worshipper who is in need, Jehovah views it as a gift to Him. (Read Proverbs 19:17.) For example, when Christians from Philippi sent a gift to the prisoner Paul, he called it “an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” (Phil. 4:18) Look around the congregation and ask yourself, ‘Is there someone I can help?’ Jehovah is pleased when he sees us use our time, energy, skills, and material things to help those in need. He considers that to be part of our worship.​—Jas. 1:27.

15. True worship requires time and effort, but why is it not burdensome?

¹⁵ True worship requires time and effort. But it is not burdensome. (1 John 5:3) Why not? Because we worship Jehovah out of love for him. Imagine a young child who wants to give something to his father. He might spend hours drawing a picture for him. The son does not begrudge the time he spent on it. He loves his father, and he is happy to give him that gift. Similarly, because of our love for Jehovah, we are happy to put forth time and effort in order to share in true worship.

16. According to Hebrews 6:10, how does Jehovah view our personal efforts to please him?

¹⁶ Loving parents do not expect to receive the same gift from each of their children. They realize that each child is different and has different circumstances. Similarly, our heavenly Father understands our individual circumstances. Maybe you can do more than many whom you know and love. Or you may not be able to do as much as others do, perhaps because of your age, health, or family responsibilities. Do not be discouraged. (Gal. 6:4) Jehovah will not forget your work. As long as you are giving your best and with the right motive, he will be pleased. (Read Hebrews 6:10.) Jehovah sees even the intentions of your heart. He wants you to be happy and satisfied with the worship you are able to give him.

17. (a) If we find some aspects of our worship to be difficult, what steps can we take? (b) How have you been helped by one aspect shown in the box “Add to Your Happiness”?

¹⁷ What if we find it hard to engage in some aspect of our worship, such as personal study or the public ministry? We will likely find that the more often we engage in these activities, the more we will enjoy them and benefit from them. We might compare our worship to some activity, such as doing a type of exercise or practicing a musical instrument. If we do so only occasionally, we might not make much progress. But suppose we decide to make it part of our daily routine. We might start with brief periods and gradually lengthen them. As we see the good results of our efforts, we will likely look forward to these periods and really enjoy them. Can you see how we can apply this approach to our worship?

18. How do we fulfill the purpose of our existence, and with what results?

¹⁸ We fulfill the very purpose of our existence by worshipping Jehovah wholeheartedly. As a result, we enjoy a happy and meaningful life and we have the hope of worshipping Jehovah forever. (Prov. 10:22) We already have peace of mind because we know that Jehovah helps his worshippers when they experience problems. (Isa. 41:9, 10) We certainly have good reasons to be happy as we worship our loving Father, who is worthy “to receive the glory and the honor” from all his creation!​—Rev. 4:11.