DO YOU HAVE A LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written:
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
(Matthew 4:10)

MEDITATION:
In this setting of scripture, it is interesting to see how Jesus
‘connects’ worship and serving. When the word worship is
mentioned, most of us probably think about singing and
praising in a church building with other Christians.

We can see in Matthew that Jesus was not talking about that type
of worship. He was referring to worship as a committed lifestyle.
In other words, we exchange our previous way of worldly living
for a new style of living which includes the Lord.

It doesn’t mean we ‘isolate’ ourselves from the world, it means we
have chosen to navigate the world with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit who God gave us with our salvation. When we live His way,
we will be able to filter our thoughts, words, and actions so they are
more like what Jesus would do, which is what God expects of those
who belong to Him.

When we embrace a more righteous lifestyle, it doesn’t mean we
become pious and look down on others. It means we have chosen
to block the influences of Satan which can divert our attention
from a God-centered lifestyle.

Why is that important for us? We need a shift in our focus so that we
will become usable by the Lord. If Satan can divert our attention from
a worship lifestyle, then he can cause us to consider other things more
important than our Lord, which will prevent us from accomplishing
what God has created us to do.

Paul encouraged those who claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ
to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God.
    Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of
    God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
    holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper
    worship.
    (Romans 12:1)

This is to be considered a reasonable service that brings honor
to our Lord. This is a lifestyle; worship is a lifestyle. Worship is
anything we do that brings pleasure to God. In essence, worship
is committing our everyday ordinary life (sleeping, eating, work,
time off, vacation, hobbies, recreation, etc.) to the glory of God.

In other words, we continue living a normal life, but it has become
God-focused, instead of being under the control of the influences of
the world (Satan). We may sing praises to the Lord in church with
fellow believers, but worship should include allowing Him to be the
Lord of our life.

With the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can develop a lifestyle
of worship that will point others to Jesus. The Lord sees when our level
of commitment and worship is sincere. He will only use the part of our
lives that we surrender to Him. His desire is to totally use each of His
followers to ‘touch the world’ around us.

Think about what that means. We humbly came to God admitting our
sins and asking Him to forgive us and rescue us from the pending doom
of eternal suffering that awaits those who are not members of His family.
Then, God blesses us with at least one Spiritual gift and He begins a process
called ‘sanctification’ which transforms us from who we are, to the person
He wants and has created us to be.

God knows our weaknesses and the struggles we have with some specific
sins that we are vulnerable to committing; that’s why He gave us the Holy
Spirit when He saved us. His Spirit gives us a new ‘defense’ that is capable
of repelling the attacks from Satan, and creating in us a desire to ‘activate’
the Spiritual gift we have been given for pointing others to Jesus.

We can see that God really does have a plan for each of us and we have
the responsibility of humbling accepting His desire for us and embracing
the changes He will make in our lives. The choice we make is not only
important for His earthly ministry, but it is a matter of life and death for
us. When we choose a lifestyle of worship, we can avoid eternal punishment
and become useful for the Kingdom of God.
    “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
      the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the
      will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me
      on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
      name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your
      name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them
      plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
      (Matthew 7:21-23)

ACTION:
Questions to ask ourselves:
    – Have I developed a lifestyle of worship?
    – If the Lord asked me about my level of
       commitment and service, what would I say?
    – Do I have a desire to ‘touch the world’ for Jesus?
    – How is God using me for His ministry in the world?
    – Do I know the Spiritual gift He gave me with His salvation?
       Note:
           Knowing and using our Spiritual gift confirms
           that we belong to the Lord and He ‘knows’ us.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me if I have failed to surrender
my all to You. Help me develop a lifestyle of worship in my
own life, so I can point others to Jesus. Teach me to be
worshipful at all times, and not just when I am meeting
with other believers at church. Help me to realize that
my eternal destiny is determined by the choices I make
in this life. Give me a desire to embrace the changes You
will make in me through Your sanctification process.
Thank You for loving me enough to transform me so
You will ‘know’ me when I meet You face to face.”

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