Do we want our worship to be pleasing to God? If so, then we need to ask ourselves every so often a few questions. Is our worship about us, about what we want, about what we can get out of it or about what we are giving? Or is it truly about God, about what He wants, about what He has done for us and about giving Him the praise that He's worthy of?
This little article below is taken from the NIV Quest Study Bible and I hope it will give you some new insight into what worship should and shouldn't be:
The temple in Isaiah's day had ample space around the altar of burnt offering for one to observe another's spirituality. Even the presiding priests might be impressed by the sacrifice of a large, costly animal.
Prophets such as Isaiah were aghast at such showy displays of worship. At times, God swiftly punished prideful, self-centered worship. For example, when King Uzziah tried to offer incense in the temple and lost his temper when priests tried to stop him (Israel was not to have pries-kings like its idolatrous neighbors), God afflicted him with leprosy.
True worship isn't showy. It does not call attention to or glorify the worshiper; it honors only God. It is not a mindless formality, either. It is an affair of the heart, characterized by the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:6), fervent prayer (Jms. 5:16) and open-hearted reading of God's Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God shows he is pleased with such worship by being present with us.
Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper