I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:3). I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:11).
I remember watching a television show about a woman who was a “couponer.” She reported to the interviewer to have spent around 25-30 hours per week clipping, saving, and sorting coupons, all in an effort to get as much free stuff as she could. After watching this for a while, I said to my wife, “If she spent that time working, she probably wouldn’t have to cut coupons. It wouldn’t be worth it.”
But of course, I’m just like that woman. There are many things that I do, ways I spend my time, that are simply unworthy (or worth-less) endeavors. You and I could, if we were honest, fill a list with some of the unworthy things we do. But God is nothing like that. God is totally, completely, always, worthy.
In English, the word, “worthy,” is related to the word, “worship.” That is, we worship what we find to have the most worth—what’s most valuable to us. And in the Scriptures we find over and over again that God is the most worthy being in existence. Therefore, he is worth our worship. David picked up on this in his statement, “I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised...” That is, God is worth being called upon. He’s the most valuable, excellent being in existence. So, I call on him. The result: salvation. The most worthy being is worth calling upon because he is more important, more weighty, and holds more value than anything which assails us. In worshipping him, we declare war on the worthless enemies of distraction, smallness, and meaninglessness.
In fact, God is so worthy of worship that he’s even more valuable than life itself. In Romans, Paul exhorts his audience to present their bodies to God as a living sacrifice. Why? Because it is the right way to worship such a God. He was so convinced that a life lived in total obedience to God was worth more—was better—than a life lived for self, that he said, “Just go ahead and consider yourselves dead to everything but God himself. That’s worship.” Wow.
But of course, that’s our destiny. Heaven is filled with countless beings who will be crying out for a thousand forevers, “Worthy!” God is worth all our worship, all our work, all our lives. There is no one like him. No one better. No one mightier. No one more lovely. No one. He, alone, is worthy, and from him to all other things find their subsequent value.
And this begs the question, do we really believe this. Are we willing, today, to give God our bodies? How about our finances? What about our relationships, can he have those? What about our kids, spouses, mothers, and fathers? When we get a glimpse of the worth of God, then (and only then) are we able to say, “Worthy are you, Lord, to receive everything I’ve got...” So, how do you see him?