Read Romans 12:1-8

Looking around at the people surrounding me singing and swaying to the worship music, I felt like a complete failure.  I felt that I must be missing something because I didn’t feel what they seemed to feel as people closed their eyes and raised their hands.  I expected that they felt some great surge of energy or force that you are supposed to experience when you sing a Christian song on a Sunday morning.  This was my definition of worship.  When I didn’t feel it the way I assumed I should  I assumed I was doing it wrong.  

Christian worship means much more than singing or contemplating God or bowing down in prayer (though those things are worship).  According to Paul in Romans 12:1,2 worship is based on God’s work on our behalf that prompts us to seek to obey Christ and worship Him in every area of our life “I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”   There is no area that is excluded from presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice and this presentation of our bodies doesn’t just happen once it  should be happening at all times.  

To worship the way that glorifies God means that we approach every aspect of each day as one where we can worship God with our whole life––from the mundane everyday activities that God brings our way to the loud singing with the congregation on a Sunday morning.   Even fighting against sin is worship.  Paul goes on to tell us in verse 2 that we “should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our minds.”  This pursuit of holiness and renewal of our minds is just as much worship as “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the Earth!” (Psalm 100:1)

The gospel, the good news of Jesus’ work on the cross, is applied to us by faith and enables us to live our whole lives in purposeful worship.  We can live with a mission as we seek to worship the Triune God and bring him glory in all we do everyday, not just on Sundays when we are singing with the congregation in our worship gathering.

Live with a Mission today: Ask yourself, “Do I think I have to be doing something overtly Christian or be in a worship service to worship God?”   In one or two daily activities today, thank God and worship Him with the strength and passion He provides as you fight against sin and seek to live a thankful and worship filled life.