We often wrongly assume that the most publicly active person is also the most privately spiritual and that, likewise, the least publicly active is the least spiritual.  You’ve probably experienced being impressed by someone’s expressive worship. 

You might have wondered if he or she was engaged in “better” worship and may even have emulated that person’s worship in hopes of improving your own. When we are led in worship, we often get the impression that being outwardly demonstrative is the most important aspect of the worship act.

Many Christians equate worship with external expressions—singing, clapping and playing musical instruments. There is anassumption that the worship part of the service is the musical part. When the singing stops, we are finished worshiping. Yet worship should be the highest priority for every Christian.

It is fulfilling the first and greatest commandment. It is our first obligation to our Creator and Savior. Worship is our full-time occupation when we get to heaven.

Worship is an attitude of the heart—an attitude of awe and adoration. Worship is not an external expression, but a love response to a relationship. Singing, bowing, dancing or lifting hands are, at best, the mere expressions of love. The inner attitude determines the worship
integrity of the external expression.

The external world is the public, visible dimension of our lives. It consists of work, play, possessions, and a host of acquaintances that make up a social life. It is what we see, hear, feel, and touch.  This outer world is the focus of much of our lives.

The inner world is our private world. More spiritual in nature, it is the place in which morals, values, and choices are determined, where solitude and reflection can be pursued. It is where prayers and confessions are made.

This inner sanctum of the heart is also where worship begins. It is the hotbed or incubator for worship. If this part of our lives is not carefully cared for, the quality of our worship life is inferior, or, in some cases, non-existent.

The inner world is like a garden. What does yours look like? Is it well groomed or overgrown with all kinds of weeds and trash?  

God created us to work most effectively from the inside out: “Watch your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23) The Lord is concerned about the strength and the development of the heart.  He instructs us to protect it from outside influences that might jeopardize its integrity.  

We must choose to keep the inner garden of the heart. Its health and productivity cannot be assumed. It must be constantly protected and maintained for quality living and quality worship.

Here’s how to condition your garden and maintain its vitality:

1. Soundproof your garden. The inner world is to be a place of peace and tranquility. It is where the Spirit of God comes to make self-disclosure, share wisdom, give affirmation or rebuke, provide encouragement, and give directions and guidance.  Shut out the noise of the outside world so that you can hear Him.

2. Protect your garden.  Set up a sturdy fence to guard your inner world from destructive external forces. Make spending time in your garden a priority. When we give priority to the quality of our hearts, we increase not only the quality of our character and life but also the
integrity of our worship.

When we neglect our private inner world, we permit the outer sphere to shape us and we lose our perspective on reality. Beware the barrenness produced by a busy outer world. It will rob you of spiritual integrity.  
 
3. Nourish the soil. Every day, enrich the garden of your heart with devotion, honest prayer, and meditation. These practices create an environment in which a rich worship life can flourish. They help us sharpen our ability to see things from God’s perspective, provide vital life-giving friendship with Christ, and ensure our sense of accountability to God.
 
4. Know your garden and the organic life that grows there.  Learn about worship.  Discover what it is, what it is not, and where it comes from through close examination of the scriptures.  It’s also important to find out about yourself—the way you function, learn, and behave in adversity, as well as your spiritual strengths and weaknesses—in order to be in touch with your attitudes and adjust them as necessary.
 
5. Help the garden connect with the Sun. Look into the Son, and bask in His glory. Don’t just focus on how He impacts the soil. Just as worship takes place in the internal and not the external realm, worship is centered on His person and not His performance.

Unlike praise, which often declares what God has done for us and to us, worship focuses on God’s person and character. It looks at the person of our praise and not the benefits of knowing Him. Don’t assume you know all there is to know about Him.  Study his attributes, and your worship will grow to new heights.  
 
6. Tend your garden diligently.  Examine it closely for weeds, the impurities that slowly but surely choke the life out of a healthy garden.  Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. You can know that your private world is in order when you make a daily choice to monitor its state of cleanliness. Pull the weeds—they are stubborn and will take over your heart if left alone.
 
7.  Don’t compare your garden to your neighbor’s.  Remember that you cannot access your neighbor’s garden.  Don’t compare your worship expressions to those of others.  Worship is personal and individual.  Concern yourself with your garden, and your grass will surely be green.

God wants men to have it right on the inside. Some call what comes from the organized external realm of songs or ceremonies worship. But what springs from this realm is just a facade.  Its fruits are not fruits at all, but plastic plants that require and receive no care and collect dust on the shelf.

Real worship takes root deep in the organic heart. When the inner garden is fertile and well kept, the worship will be fruitful, spiritual and real. Get away from the realm of plastic worship, and discover the vitality and beauty of organic worship that blooms only in the heart.