As the song says, “You and I were made to worship.”, yet most of us are living in a state of worship interrupted… so much so, that worship becomes something we see as separate from our daily lives and try to fit into our spare time and church time. I imagine Satan is celebrating heartily that he has managed to twist up our priorities so completely. Worship can be, and should be something we are doing all the time. It can be, and should be like the background music of a movie, playing subtly around us no matter what we may be doing.
Too many of us have come to understand worship as the ceremonious things we do in church. Isaiah preached against this attitude of worship long before Christ came and became the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Isaiah 1:11-13 (Gods Word)
11 The LORD asks, “What do your many animal sacrifices mean to me? I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams and enough fat from your fattened calves. I’m not pleased with the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. 12 When you appear in my presence, who asked you to trample on my courtyards? 13 Don’t bring any more worthless grain offerings. Your incense is disgusting to me, so are your New Moon Festivals, your days of worship, and the assemblies you call. I can’t stand your evil assemblies.
Isaiah also expressed what the true and genuine worship that God desired of us would look like.
Isaiah 1:16-17 (Gods Word)
16 “Wash yourselves! Become clean! Get your evil deeds out of my sight. Stop doing evil. 17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Arrest oppressors. Defend orphans. Plead the case of widows.”
When we define worship as including all of these things, we can learn to incorporate this attitude of worship into our daily lives. It all boils down to keeping a “God view” on our daily activities and responding to every interaction with a consciousness that God is always there with us. It will change the way we think and do things, and it will bring blessings into our lives.
I make that last statement with bold authority for a reason…
A while back I was stressed at work and having a pretty tough time of it – the economy was in the dirt, and no one was buying. Initially, I followed the strategies that were being suggested by management, and it just got worse, so eventually I made a choice to trust that God would bless me if I just let it all be about Him. When my manager asked why I thought my sales were still lagging, I told him I was sowing and that a time of reaping would follow, when God was ready. Yes, I received a skeptical eyes over the glasses stare, but he had no other “come back” to counter with.
At the same time I stepped out in faith and increased my giving. It was an outward sign of worship, affirming that I believed the time of reaping was at hand. The first signs of the harvest were not sales, they were problems resolving. With my attitude focused on God, I saw solutions to customer problems that had been weighing both the company and me down. I was able to see the win-win scenarios, and determine ways to quickly implement them.
Before long, I found myself at my desk humming Christian songs and hymns as I worked, surprised as some of my co-workers would sometimes hum along. When a client would tell me they were a bit under the weather, I would ask (with respectful discretion) if they would like for me to pray for them. I realized I was taking a more sincere interest in every prospect’s wants and needs, and offering the best solution I had, even if it was not to buy something from me. I became so focused on doing what was right, that I was not at all concerned about, nor pressing for the sale. OMG! The salesperson not closing??? How can that work?
I realized that the one thing that had been holding me back, was that I had allowed my worship to be interrupted for the sake of doing my job. When I allowed worship to become the way I did my job, everything else fell right into place. Since making this change, I have had a steady flow of new prospects and abundant orders. I still encounter some times when I sow far more than I reap, but more often, a bountiful harvest is rolling in as fast as I can handle it. The point is, I have allowed my work to be an act of worship, and God just keeps on blessing it!
There can be an aspect of worship in each and every thing that we do, from brushing our teeth to changing our oil. We just need to adopt a worshipful attitude when we do them. The state of worship interrupted needs to come to an end. We need to consciously choose to not allow our worship to be interrupted, with every step we take.
Blessings & Adventure,
Lynn “lynnibug” Rios
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