This week we’re concluding our look at the components of building a strong spiritual house. We’ve already looked at prayer and Bible study. This week we focus on worship, the third component of spiritual house building.
So, what is worship?
According to the Holman Concise Bible Dictionary, worship is the “Human response to the perceived presence of the divine (Gen. 28:16-17).” There is both personal worship and corporate worship (every time I say “corporate worship”, a little part of me thinks that’s a “business” word and shouldn’t be used for church! But that’s just me…). We’re going to zero in on personal worship as it pertains to spiritual growth.
A private relationship of worshiping God is the greatest essential element of spiritual fitness. – Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
Worship is not limited to a Sunday morning service or a concert. Worship is a way of life. It is living our everyday lives with an awareness of God’s Presence. We know that God is always with us, but do we live as though He is right there with us? And let me be honest, I don’t have this mastered either – but I want to. I want my actions to resonate with the love of God. But that doesn’t happen if I’m not daily worshipping, daily centering my focus and my praise on my Lord.
How we personally respond to God’s presence is personal worship, and personal worship is just that – personal. We can worship through prayers, songs or in silence before the Lord. We worship in whatever form we are we are comfortable with. Some worship in the still of early morning. Some worship by singing as loud as they can while driving down the interstate. Some worship in silence as they stare out at the night sky. How you worship isn’t nearly as important as actually worshipping the Lord.
We can also worship through our work. Our daily tasks can be performed as an offering to the Lord. What if we actually took Paul’s instruction to heart:
“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men,” – Colossians 3:23
How different would our lives be if we were to approach every task with the thought, “I am doing this for my Lord.”? This is the challenge for followers of Christ – to live in such a way as to honor our Lord with our whole life, not just words, but deeds done with the love of Christ.
Worship isn’t just singing. Worship isn’t just offering praises to God. Worship doesn’t just happen in a church. Worship is reverent adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ because He is worthy of all honor, praise and glory. And we, as His beloved children, are called to bring honor to Him through our ordinary, daily lives.
