WORSHIP AS A WAY OF LIFE
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
Worship is our response to what we value most.
Whatever is worth most to you is what you worship.
Louie Giglio
Have you ever left a Sunday worship service thinking, The music was amazing. I can’t wait to come back next week? Or maybe your reaction was different: I love this church, but the worship didn’t really do anything for me… I’m guessing we’ve all said (or at least felt) things like that. It can be easy to reduce worship to the songs we sing on Sunday mornings. But Scripture shows us that worship is so much more. Worship is a heart posture of gratitude for God’s mercy, expressed in how we live every day. True worship isn’t just what we sing on Sunday; it’s the life we offer all week long. And we do this every minute of every day. We’re always worshipping something.
Eric Liddell is a great example of someone who realized that his entire life was meant to be an act of worship. He was an Olympic gold medalist, the subject of Chariots of Fire, who was devoted to both sports and missionary service. He knew that his life’s calling and the worship of God were deeply intertwined. This can be seen in his famous quote, God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure. What’s interesting is that he ended up spending three years in a Japanese internment camp. While he was there, he became a leader and encourager in the camp–teaching, organizing sports for children, sharing food, and fostering peace. Whether as a missionary, a runner or a prisoner, he lived his entire life to the glory of God.
APPLICATION: Do even the most mundane task with an awareness of God. Thank Him and praise Him.
PRAYER: Lord, I come before You with a heart that longs to worship You–not just in song, but in every part of my life. Teach me to honor You in my thoughts, my words, and my actions. Help me to see each moment as an opportunity to praise You, each choice as an offering of love. Draw me closer to You, Lord, so that my worship flows naturally from a heart fully devoted to You. I want my life, not just my lips, to glorify Your name. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?