In the past I considered the singing portion of a church service to be worship. I heard others calling the entire church service “worship.” Both lines of thinking are true, but there is more to worship than time spent in a church building. In reality, everything we do can be worship unto God. Worship at its best is a way of life.
The word “worship” speaks of placing value and respect on something or someone. Our everyday living shows what we value and who we respect. It’s not walking around with a holy look on our faces, hands uplifted, and singing with angelic voices as we walk through the grocery store. The simple practices of our lives say the most about us.
One of my favorite books, The Practice of the Presence of God, was written about Brother Andrew, a monk in the 17th century. The book is a quick read, yet takes a lifetime to follow. Brother Andrew invited God into every task of his day. He was commissioned to work in the kitchen which he thoroughly disliked, yet his constant fellowship with God brought a life of joy and peace in the midst of it.
“Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah).”
Colossians 3:23, 24 (Amplified)
Throughout my life, I separated my life into two categories, the spiritual and the natural. Spiritual consisted of church, reading my Bible and prayer. Natural was pretty much everything else. I’ve come to see life very differently over the last few years. Following Brother Andrew’s lead, everything we do can be spiritual because the very Spirit of the Lord lives inside of us and does it with us!
I believe God is happy when we talk to Him all day long and also listen for Him to speak to us. In fact, I hear Him speak to me as much in the busyness of daily life as I do when I sit quietly before Him.
Our thoughts can be focused on the Lord no matter what we are doing. “Pray without ceasing” as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. We cannot pray non-stop 24/7, but we can be aware of Him throughout our day.
We can be assured God is thinking of us all the time.
“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand.”
Psalm 139:17,18a (Amplified)
God wanted a family to share life with, and He picked us. Now we live in His blessing and have the opportunity to worship Him in everything we do.
There’s nothing better than living a life of worship.