Worship In Life
Day-To-Day
With the final post we have on doxology, I want to address the practical application of worship in our lives as discussed earlier this week. In our last discussion, we talked about how our Lord loves when His people gather and worship Him in song, and how the Bible even encourages us to do so. In this post, however, we will be looking at how we worship God outside of singing on a Sunday morning. What are some real, practical ways I can honor and glorify God with my life outside of singing and music? We are going to address some of those ways here. And as we do, may we remember what the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:28 “28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;” We show gratitude to our God because He has made a way for us to receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And what are the standards for this gratitude? Acceptable service with reverence and awe. No mandatory music, no concert-like atmosphere, just reverence and awe in our hearts as we glorify the Lord. With that being said, let’s look at some ways we can exhibit this in our day-to-day lives.
Love Your Bible & People
To start, I want to address a vital aspect of worship in our lives that we’ve mentioned briefly before, but I believe still goes overlooked. That aspect of course is the preaching of the Word of God. Look at what Jesus Himself says about knowing our God in John 17:3 “3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” The very essence of eternal life is knowing who God is and what the sacrifice of Jesus Christ accomplished. Knowing this and growing in our knowledge of the Lord is clearly pleasing to our God. And how do we know more about our Lord? Through His word. When we find a sound, biblical pastor to submit ourselves to, we shouldn’t just look for someone who can keep us awake, we should strive to find someone who teaches us more about scripture than we ever knew before. This is why finding the right church is of utmost importance and also why the number one aspect of finding this church should be the preaching of the Word of God. When discussing worship in our day-to-day lives, look at what John Piper has to say about the Bible. He says, “Look for prescribed patterns and emphases in the New Testament. Singing and preaching are central.” It is unmistakable, that as we read our Bibles, one of the clearest ways we can glorify our God is by growing in our knowledge of Him through His word. Furthermore, another area of our lives that we can use to worship the Lord is our love of others. I know this sounds like the most basic, simple, Veggie-Tales-themed aspect out there, but it remains true nonetheless.
In fact, when asked about what the greatest commandment in all of God’s Law is, Jesus responds by telling His disciples to love God with all of their heart, soul, and mind, and then follows up with this from Mark 12:31 “31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The greatest command that God has for all of His people to follow is to love God, and love others. The Lord is pleased when we reveal our love for Him through the study of scripture, but He is also pleased when we show the love of Christ to others. Loving others isn’t just something that God desires us to do for fun, but by doing so, we open up a way to reach the lost with the gospel. When we truly love people, Christ is seen in us and revealed to others. This may very well open up a door that was not opened before the kindness and love that you have shown to a particular individual. In a recent blog post, Just Disciple mentions a simple method that again seems so basic, but in reality, is one that would help us love many more people if we just applied it. They mention, “The second commandment is loving others as you love yourself. When it comes to this expression of worship, think to yourself, “How would I want another person to respond to me in this situation?” Then, do that exact same thing for someone else.” I know it’s the old adage of ‘treat others how you want to be treated’, but if we actually did this, not only would it be pleasing to God, but the chance to share the gospel would be much greater.
In The Workplace
Finally, I want to reveal a way we can worship the Lord that not many of us will honestly appreciate. This way, of course, is in the workplace. Way too often, when we are at work, the number one goal we have is not to honor the Lord but to get home. From the moment we clock in, to the moment we clock out, we just want to go back to our residence and relax. But what a missed opportunity this is! Not only do many of us spend a great amount of time at the workplace, but it is at our occupation that we are likely surrounded by lost souls who don’t know Christ. Look at what Paul tells the church in Colossae in Colossians 3:23-24 “23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” When we go to work, we should already be working as if we are serving the Lord and not man anyway. This goes hand in hand with what learned about Romans 12:1-2 when it tells us to offer ‘our bodies as a living sacrifice’ to Him. This again means that we are to be used at all times to honor and glorify Him, no matter what. And this includes the workplace.
On the idea of Romans 12, look at what Piper informs us about: “Verse 2 is the means by which verse 1 comes about. Your life becomes a worship to God, it becomes a manifestation of the worth and value of Jesus, when you are not conformed to the world and all their values, but you are transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that the will of God becomes precious to you and a joy to you, and you find yourself living a lifestyle of love and sacrifice and Christ-exalting standards that cause the world to recognize his reality and his beauty and his value.” When we work at our everyday jobs as if we are working for the Lord and not man, it is another way in which we can show reverence and glory to His name. I hope and pray this week that the Holy Spirit urges our hearts to honor the Lord in ways we haven’t thought about before. Whether it’s by one of the aspects we just mentioned or something we haven’t, may it always be our goal to offer ourselves for the glory of God, day in and day out.
Sources
[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.
[2] Piper, J. (2023, November 22). Do we really need musical worship? Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/do-we-really-need-musical-worship
[3] Mcguire, T. (2019, November 4). 10 Types of Worship That Don’t Include Music. Just Disciple. https://justdisciple.com/worship-without-music/
[4] Piper, J. (2023b, November 22). Worship in the workplace. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/worship-in-the-workplace
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