A.W. Tozer once wrote that God created mankind to worship Him, but when Adam sinned, mankind threw the gift of worship in the mud. When we are born again by the Holy Spirit, the gift of worship is restored.

What is worship? Worship is (a) ascribing worth to someone or something, (b) feeling and demonstrating love and devotion to someone or something, and (c) showing honor, respect, reverence and submission to someone or something. (This definition is incomplete but adequate for this blog.)

What is the only correct object of worship? There are two categories of objects of worship: incorrect and correct.

First, Incorrect Objects of Worship. John Calvin wrote that “the human heart is an idol factory.” Man is instinctively a worshiping being because he was created by God to worship God. When man fell into sin, the instinct to worship was not cancelled. Instead, it was redirected. People worship all sorts of false gods. The stereotypical example of this is the worship of graven images (idols) made with human hands (Isaiah 44:9-19). People worship hobbies, sports, and entertainment. People worship money and material possessions. People worship religion, religious rituals, practices, and even worship itself. Man worships other people (whether celebrities, spouses, children, self, etc.) Ultimately, man worships the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:24-25). All of these objects and potential objects of worship are false gods, are not worthy to be worshiped, and are an affront to the only true and living God, who alone is the correct object of worship.[1]

Second, The Only Correct Object of Worship. God alone is worthy to be worshiped (Psalm 29:2, Revelation 4:11). He is worthy to be worshiped (a) because of who He is (i.e., the great God, Psalm 150:2b), and (b) because of all that He has done (Psalm 150:2a). God is jealous of man’s worship, demanding that He alone be worshiped (Exodus 20:3-5).

Note:
[1] Idolatry is not limited to worship idols instead of God. It is also worshiping idols in addition to God, worshiping God using idols, and even worshiping God using the methods employed by idol worshipers. (See Deuteronomy 12)