In the New Testament, ‘worship’ is always a verb, never a noun. In other words, the focus is on doing. It is concrete, not abstract; active, not passive. To worship the Lord is to devote our energies to honouring him.
It is easy to make ‘worship’ a noun–the name of a theological concept–and then study it as an abstract thing.
But worshiping God involves the whole personality. Spiritually, intellectually and physically we bow before him.
This is not to make us think less of ourselves but to gain an honest appraisal of who we are. We are the crown of creation, made in the image of the almighty, sovereign God. This both humbles us and exalts us.
Like Isaiah, in terror and awe we regard our own infinitesimal, exposed and sinful state and cry, ‘Woe is me! For I am lost!’ (Isaiah 6:5). Yet, through the simple act of obeying and serving him, we rise up in faith and boldness in the Spirit of the Lord to a greatness we could never otherwise attain (Isaiah 6:8). When we hear the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ we reply, ‘Here I am! Send me.’ (Isaiah 6:8).
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.