The Worship Hierarchy–Bless the Lord

Devotional Reading—The Worship Hierarchy—Bless the Lord

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, Bless His holy name! –Psalm 103:1

When we look at God’s Hierarchy, God, the Father, Jesus Christ, His Son, the Holy Spirit, the angels, humanity, and animals, it is evident that God created His Kingdom based upon a “We” [collective] standard. We were created from love and to have healthy interdependent relationships with the Trinity Godhead and with each other.

The individualistic mindset of “I” was not a concept of God’s original plan and will never exist in the spiritual realm. Placing oneself as a priority produces a selfish heart and distorts our outlook on life. Striving to place himself as one of the Trinity Godhead, Lucifer’s prideful heart brought chaos into heaven.

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Revelation 12:7-9, ESV)

The repercussions of Lucifer’s sins of pride and disobedience have infiltrated humanity, resulting in an internal conflict between God’s hierarchy and Satan’s hierarchy for thousands of years. As a result of our acceptance of the worldview of individualism, we are plagued with mental and emotional issues of low self-value, anxiety, worries, discontentment, and discouragement.

Many people are wandering through life without a sense of spiritual purpose so they attempt to calm their inner fears and turmoil by chasing after material possessions and engaging in unhealthy relationships. Despite the negative consequences of placing oneself as a priority, many accept the worldview of individualism as evidence of strength and empowerment.

Collectivist: relating to the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it.

The Biblical Worldview: “Now the LORD God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him” (Genesis 2:18).

Throughout the Bible, we have evidence [God’s numerous promises] that God did not create us to be alone nor has He ever left us to fend for ourselves.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

“I will never leave you or forsake you “I will send you the Helper from the Father” (John 15:26).

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

God’s original plan is for us to live in harmony with His precepts. In the book of Malachi, God says that He never changes.

Have the Attitude of Christ

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” –Philippians 2:3-5, NLT

Jesus’ life of blessing others revealed His love and the desire to bless God by always giving His Father glory and honor. Jesus created us to love God, love others, and love ourselves—which is the only hierarchy that God approves of. Our Savior’s life was one of self-sacrifice. Jesus lived to help others by teaching them the love of God and providing the necessity of food along with spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical healing. Remember that Jesus, the Son of Man always put God, His Father first, and then the needs of others. Never once, did Christ place Himself above others.

Perform a self-evaluation of your mindset and values. Are they in alignment with the Biblical Worldview of collectivism? Yes, God has given us free will of choice. We can live according to our worldviews and interpretation of God’s Truth, yet, our individual choice will impact our destiny of receiving the reward of eternal life. The world as we know it, with the conflicting worldview of individualism, “Looking out for number one” will not have a place in the Kingdom of God in the New Heaven and New Earth.

Changing our mindset from I to We requires humility and obedience. With God, all things are possible. Jesus has promised to finish the work in us [Philippians 1:6] if we do our part in striving after righteousness. Live to serve! Placing the needs of others as a priority is an outward sign of the internal condition of our hearts. Our love for God is evidenced by blessing others. God is truly blessed by our desire to bring honor and glory to Him. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits…” (Psalm 103:2).

Bible Study: Matthew chapter 5, verses 1-12

Prayer: God, we have lost our way by accepting worldviews that conflict with Your precepts to live righteously. And for this sin, we ask forgiveness. We pray for a change of heart that we will live to bless others as You did. Thank You for loving us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.