Worship in Our Day to Day Lives
by Amy Potts
Worship. What is it? Why do we do it? How do we do it? This is without a doubt a gigantic topic, therefore I want to just barely touch on the authenticity and consistency aspects of worship. And even though I am keeping it simple and focused, I believe worship is really, really important. So important in fact that the frequency and the heart attitude we have toward worship is a way in which we can measure our spiritual health. Is worship just a Sunday morning/Tuesday night thing we do when we sing, or is it a daily lifestyle we live? The answers to these questions can reveal quite a bit about ourselves. How much time we spend worshiping Jesus literally affects EVERYTHING in our day to day lives. For example, if we are in a season of limited worship we may be struggling with a sin, we may be living with very little joy, or just maybe we are dealing with stress in ungodly ways.
TBH, I am a little convicted as I am writing these words because I can never fully and adequately worship THE infinite and eternal, the Creator of the universe, and Creator of my soul in a way that HE deserves. While there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, we must always be mindful of our unworthiness before a holy righteous God. My conviction comes as a result of being inconsistent and inadequate in worship from day to day. It saddens me to admit I can go a whole day let alone a whole hour without being thankful and without being filled with joy for the fact that I have received the most amazing undeserved gift. A gift that saves me from hell, a gift that reconciles me to my Heavenly Father, a gift that causes God’s unfailing love to pursue me all the days of my life and allows me to live in the house of the Lord forever! A gift that I honestly have yet to grasp the depth of. This brings to mind Psalm 23.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have everything I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
Bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
Through the valley of death,
I will not be afraid,
For you are close beside me
Your rod and your staff
Protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
In the presence of my enemies
You welcome me as a guest,
Anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love
Will pursue me
All the days of my life,
And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23 was written by David. He absolutely NAILED real authentic worship. David did this so well that even as he made some pretty horrendous mistakes in his day to day life, God would still call him a man after His own heart. This should be such an encouragement to all of us on how to worship Jesus. I would be willing to bet that the times David failed so miserably before God were the times in his life when he wasn’t consistently worshiping God. At least I know that is true for me when I fail.
David’s life speaks so much to why worship is important and how we should do it. When we are spending our time, talent, and our treasure to worship God it keeps us IN Him. It keeps us from falling. It keeps us filled with joy and purpose which fulfills how we were made. It gives us identity. David worshiped through faith, through song and dance, through reading and knowing God’s word, and through his humility in repentance.
So, how do you worship? Although there are many ways to worship, something they all have in common is that they are always done with faith and a heart attitude of choosing Jesus over ourselves. Worship is taking our thoughts captive before Jesus, praying, singing and listening to songs that glorify the Lord, reading the bible, serving others, and extending grace in a million different ways. Worship is taking the time, discipline, and humility to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Worship demonstrates how thankful and appreciative we are for all that we have been given and all the help we need to submit to Him. Worship done in these ways will always bring glory to Jesus!
So I ask again, how do YOU worship? Why do YOU worship? How can YOU worship more consistently on a day to day basis? Would the struggles you face be less of a burden if you worshipped more consistently with a heart attitude that was determined to glorify God? Most definitely they would! I challenge you to worship the way David worshipped, with consistency and authenticity and in repentance. Be encouraged and be ready to grow! Impact Tribe, the rewards of a challenge like this will far outweigh any of the effort or sacrifice you will make. May God bless you! I am praying for you!