One of my favorite passages that I committed to memory in my teen years was - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable (pleasing) in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." (Ps. 19:14) And, in that passage we find the ultimate purpose of worship, to please God. If our worship is Biblical, it will please God.
There are passages throughout Scripture that emphasize the importance of pleasing God. It is not a principle from only one passage, but many. Here are just a few of the many:
"Whatever is needed . . . let that be given to them . . . [so] that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons." (Ezra 6: 9-10)
"May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord." (Psalm 104: 34)
"Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years." (Malachi 3:4)
"Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:10)
"This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior." (I Timothy 2:3)
"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Hebrews 13:16)
"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. " (Romans 12:2 NLT) That is the purpose of our worship in a nutshell. It is not the externals of worship that need to be changed. Our internal ways of thinking and the attitudes of our hearts need to be changed, so that we truly discover the ultimate purpose of worship. mjm
