How do you like to worship?
We tend to think of worship as music focused on God, but it is so much more than that. According to Romans 12:1, true and proper worship is offering our lives as a sacrifice to God. That means giving up what we want and replacing it with what God wants.
Worship entails submissive honor to God. This is developed by trusting God in entirety. When we place our whole life in God’s hands, we communicate utter dependence on him. This is not always our tendency, as we like to act as if we are in control.
In order to submit to God, we must know what God commands. It seems so strong to use the word ‘command’ and yet God does command. I think if the word ‘desires’ is used, then the commentary might be more accepted. I have come to realize, though, that God commands. This perfect, holy, loving being cannot accept anything less than what he communicates to us.
Practically speaking, how can we live daily in sacrifice to God?
I find it helpful to think specifics, because that can give me a measure of how I am doing with a particular goal. Using the fruit of the Spirit and the description of love as a guide, we can realize plenty of ways we can sacrifice daily in order to honor God, to live a life of worship. Our God is worthy of all our worship!
We can sacrifice thoughts, time, money, desires, etc. as we choose God’s ways over our own. With a humble and loving heart, some specific ways to honor God could be:
– choosing to spend time praising rather than complaining
– buying something for someone in need or just to brighten the receiver’s day
– stopping negative thoughts despite feeling justified
– taking time to listen to a child even though you feel busy
– choosing to let another person have his way even though you wanted something different.
What could you add to this list?
Let each day be a canvas for the worship of God!