QUESTION: "What is the difference between praise and worship?"
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Worship can be defined as recognizing and proclaiming the worth, value, majesty, honor and glory of God and giving homage, respect, reverence and praise to God.

I like the following definition:

“Worship is one’s heart expression of love, adoration, honor, and praise to the Living God with an acceptable attitude and a acknowledgment of His supremacy and Lordship.”

In the Bible's original language, a number of words are translated as "worship." Here are just two that give greater meaning to the word:

* Shachah: This word means "to bow down, to do homage." It is first used in Genesis 18:2, where Abraham bows down before his three visitors (one of whom he discovered later was the Lord Himself!)

* Proskuneo: This word literally means "to kiss toward." It conveys the idea of showing reverence.

Putting these various meanings together, we see that we worship God because He is holy. In true worship, we "bow down and do homage to Him" (indicating a reverence and respect for God), and we "kiss toward Him" (signifying a tenderness and intimacy toward God).

Worship begins as we understand who Christ is and what He means to us, how He saved us from death and hell, and how He gives us joy and abundant life here on the earth. As we grow to know Him better through a personal relationship and through our prayer life and bible study, we begin to develop a deeper part of that relationship “Worship.”

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (1 Chronicles 16:29)

Another interesting point is we shouldn’t worship expecting blessings in return. That kind of worship is not sincere, it’s like using God as a slot machine, pumping in quarters with the hope of a payoff. Rather, we should worship out of thanks for all that He has done for us.

Jesus made it clear that there is both a right way and a wrong way to worship--a true and false worship. The Pharisees, who thought that they were experts in worship, were by and large not even close:

"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:8, 9).

There are many actions involved with praise to God:

- verbal expressions of adoration and thanksgiving
- singing
- playing instruments
- shouting
- dancing
- lifting or clapping of our hands.

But true praise is not “merely” going through these motions. Jesus spoke about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, whose worship was only an outward show and not from the heart.

“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).

Genuine praise to God is a matter of humility and sincere devotion to the Lord from within.

All too often, praise to God is something that many people leave at church, an event that happens only when they come together with other Christians. However, praise should be a part of a believers lifestyle, inter-mingled as a part of their daily prayer-life. At work, in the car, at home in bed, or anywhere; praise to the Lord brings the refreshing of the Lord’s presence, along with His power and anointing.

“...I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1).

Praise is an expression of faith, and a declaration of victory! It declares that we believe God is with us and is in control of the outcome of all our circumstances (Romans 8:28). Praise is a “sacrifice,” something that we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we believe in Him and wish to please Him.

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

So these are the 'differences' in worship. However, I truly believe that 'praise' and 'worship' are something that go 'hand-in-hand' in producing an ultimate magnification of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Some Biblical Expressions of Praise
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Declaring of thanks (Heb. 13:15)
Clapping hands and shouting (Psalms 47:1)
Musical instruments and dancing (Psm. 150:4)
Singing praise songs (Psalms 9:11)
Psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19-20)
Making a joyful noise (Psalms 98:4)
By lifting our hands (Psalms 134:2)
By being still (Psalms 4:3-5, 46:10)
By being loud (Psalms 33:3, 95:1-6)