It’s only natural for all to worship whether you think so or not. We all show reverence and adoration to something or someone in some way.
This world worships all kind of things — idols of all sorts — money, sex, power just to name a few. Whatever is top on your list becomes your idol and what you worship. Earlier in my life, my work became my passion, my god of choice.
Worshipping and focusing on things of this world doesn’t lead us to where we need to be. It always leaves you wanting something more.
Worship should be saved for the only One deserving of our reverence and adoration. Our Heavenly Father is not just another idol. He is the Creator of all that exists.
Let’s see what God’s Word says about worship. In Deuteronomy 6:4, the Israelites were instructed, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
The Israelites were to recite the Shema twice daily — “when you lie down, and when you get up” for the purpose of giving honor to the Lord and placing Him first in all matters. This oldest Jewish prayer perpetuates in the synagogue to this day.
Just as the Israelites were instructed to recite the Shema as a reminder that the Lord brought them out of Egyptian slavery into the Promised Land, those who follow Christ must be reminded that He brought us out of bondage to this world through His miraculous life, His vicarious death and His wonderful resurrection.
In this regard, Jesus instructed us in Mark 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
So the logical question we must ask is this: What does worship look like?
Well, I can start by telling you what my worship looks like. It starts every morning as I acknowledge to the Lord that He is my First Love. And as I go through each new day, I continuously reflect on His goodness and His presence in all the circumstances I face.
He’s my Counselor and my Comforter. He’s the Reason I exist and the Answer to all my concerns. He’s the Joy of my salvation.
And as the day ends, I once more acknowledge Him and thank Him for the day and all I’ve experienced with Him.
Yes, Sunday worship is critical in my life, but I would be foolish to leave the Lord at the door of the church as I departed into the perils of this world that surround us. There’s spiritual darkness everywhere, whether you can see it or not.
Jesus is the Light of the World and He shines brightly in this man’s life every day and night! I trust He will become your Guiding Light as well.
Worship should not be limited to a church building. Our worship needs to be constant and unceasing.
You see, there’s an ongoing battle between our flesh and the Spirit of God that dwells in each Christian’s heart. Paul discusses this dilemma in Romans 7:19-20: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
Paul continues in verse 24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
The only answer to Paul’s rhetorical question is Christ Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15:56-57, Paul exhorts: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In verse 58 he continues, “Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Passages to Ponder
— Jim Langley has been writing for more than 30 years while working as a life and health insurance agent in Santa Barbara. In recent years, his passion has turned to writing about his personal relationship with God, and his goal is to encourage others to draw near to Him as well. As a longtime member of CBMC of Santa Barbara (Christian Business Men’s Connection), he started writing Fourth Quarter Strategies columns in 2014, and he now reaches an international audience through the CBMC International devotional Monday Manna. He can be contacted at jim@fourthquarterstrategies.com for more information. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.