Many people within the church body today believe that worship is only the time of singing before the preaching in church. However, worship is much more than a once-a-week sing-a-long in church. As a result of this misbelief of worship, many Christians go the whole week not considering their lives as worship to God and fail to live a lifestyle of worship towards their Creator.
When we worship on Sunday mornings only, we fall into a trap of tradition and hypocrisy. Christ called out people like this in Matthew 8:1, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me” (NASB). It is far too easy to do church on Sunday and not the rest of the week. It is even easier to worship Christ for 10 minutes or so during our church’s musical worship set and not to worship the rest of the week. How do we break out of that cycle?
The key to living a life of worship is to understand that our daily lifestyles reflect our worship.
Paul wrote about this in Romans:
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1, NASB).
But, what does it mean to “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…which is your spiritual worship?”
- We are to be consistently mindful of how we present ourselves to others, bearing in mind the redemption and grace that God gave us. “[P]resent yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13, NASB).
- Our obedience to Christ throughout the week is worship to Him. When we seek righteousness over sin, we are reminding ourselves and others of the saving power of Christ. “[Y]ou are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness” (Romans 6:16, NASB) and “[N]ow present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification” (Romans 6:19, NASB).
- We are to “glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20, NASB). When we remember that Christ paid the ultimate price for us, we gain a newer sense of value and worth. As such, we are to take better care of our physical bodies as we do our spiritual. In doing so, we will then glorify God in our bodies because of the knowledge that we have been “bought with a price.”
- We are to be continually thankful for the goodness of God. “[L]et us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15, NASB). In doing so, we will be continually reminded to do good and share of God’s grace and abundance with others.
- We are to daily seek out righteous and good behavior. When we have a good conscience, through daily seeking obedience to God, we conduct ourselves in righteousness (Hebrews 13:18). When non-believers see us acting out Christ’s righteousness, they are inspired to worship God themselves. “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:8, NASB).
So, how does your daily lifestyle reflect your worship?
Do you make it a point to worship God in every circumstance in every day? Or do you strive to think of God at least once every day during a devotional? Some people may be better at this than others. Most need plenty of practice to worship God on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit can and will help you, if you just ask.
Here are some practical ideas to worship God in your daily life.
- Ask God for a word or good deed that you can do for a co-worker.
- Smile and strive to bring joy to others who come into contact with you. Even a simple smile and wave to a passer-by on the street may do something for their soul.
- Pray for people as you notice them. You never know what God will have for you or them.
- Pray for help whenever you’re feeling frustrated, sad, or lonely. You’ll be surprised at how praying can help you out of a funk.
- If rough language (cursing, dirty jokes, etc.) is a barrier to you exhibiting God in your life, ask God for help to remind you to think before you speak. This will keep your mind on both God and how righteous the words are that come out of your mouth. You may not catch all of them, but just stopping yourself from saying one thing a day is improvement enough.
These are just a few ideas of how we can reflect worship in our daily lifestyles. Remember that worship is more than singing on a Sunday morning. It is a lifestyle of righteousness, grace, thanksgiving, love, and obedience. How else can you extend your worship throughout the week? The possibilities are endless. Share your ideas with us in the comments below.
And, as always, read our about page and consider getting in touch with us if you desire to see multicultural worship hit your church or neighborhood.
