Most of us have worshiped something other than God. Unfortunately some of us worship luxury, money, fame, power, recognition and even possessions. We also worship spirituality, pastors, churches, religion itself, and many things other than God.
If we were designed to worship, it’s not a surprise that we all worship something. We believe, however, that God is the only thing that is worthy of our worship. We were made not just to worship, but to worship God. Unfortunately, our worship can be misplaced.
It’s easy to believe (or feel) that worship is equal to how we feel. The feeling of assuring our guilt when we attend church or put money in the offering plate, for example… or perhaps the emotional high of an amazing worship song or church service. At other times, the comfortable feeling that can come from following rituals or routine can feel like worship.
All of those things certainly are ways that people can worship God, but worship is more than emotions. It’s more than following rituals, and it’s more than music and singing.
God created us to worship Him in every part of our lives. As we personally trust Him more and desire to know Him more, we hope to learn to worship Him in everything we do. We want to “pull our affections” from the things of this world and place them on Him, and act accordingly.
We are to put God, not others, first. Some people turn this around and put others first. But that’s not what Jesus said, is it? Doing good works, helping others, feeding the hungry, helping the poor and the sick—these are in the second part of Jesus’s command. The first part is to love God, and without that, the second is of no use. It’s a matter of priorities.
We are to worship God on a regular basis. We can only do this in a community of Christians. In Western culture this is usually, but not necessarily, on Sunday mornings.
Note that we come to faith individually, but it cannot end there. We must worship God with others. This means gathering with other Christians in both large and small groups. In the large group gathering we can experience a tiny slice of what it will be like in heaven, singing and praising God en masse. It also provides a venue for hearing, teaching and preaching. In the small group gathering, we can share meals together, discuss, and ask questions, do in-depth Bible studies, make friends, and live life together. That’s what we try to do in the community group that meets at our home each week. And it’s a necessary part of Christian life.
So we worship God in both large and small gatherings. We sing praises to him.
What else do we do? We obey him. 1 John 2:3–6 (NLT): “3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
Also part of obeying God is serving Him. Doing good work. Helping others. Fulfilling the second great commandment to love others. James 2:17 (NLT): “17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
Another part of loving God is knowing Him.
So we study and learn and pray to Him on a daily basis. Prayer is communication with God. Prayer involves praising Him, bringing petitions to Him, and asking for His guidance.
Worship. Praise. Christian community. Service. Obedience. Loving others through good deeds. Seeking him through knowledge and prayer. I’m sure there are ways I’ve missed. But that’s how we love God. That’s why we are here.
Ways how to worship God Every Day
It’s time to break the chains of monotony in worship and find worship in a different way. This does not mean that you cannot go back to the traditions that you find meaningful. It is a beautiful thing and a gift from God to be able to find Him in a familiar song or prayer. But we should not be shackled to only one type of worship.
This could not be further from the truth about what worship really means. Worship is not about singing songs; rather, worship is a lifestyle. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “honor with extravagant love and extreme submission.” But what does that look like in everyday life?
Worship is an attitude of our hearts. It’s how we interact with God, how we view His character and how we respond to His compassion. You don’t have to sing in order to accomplish this (though singing is one way to worship). Here are three ways to worship God daily and strengthen your relationship with Him.
Turn Worries Into Prayer
Perhaps you struggle to find time to pray. But do you have time to worry? Prayers are worries turned over to God! Instead of rehashing your circumstances over and over again, turn each worry into a prayer. Any time you are tempted by anxiety, choose to trust God by involving Him in your situation.
Trust is an action, not a state of being. Each time you confront anxiety and fear by bringing Christ into the situation, you’re putting faith in His goodness and ability. That is an act of worship: attributing worth to the glory of God.
Fill Your Mind With His Attributes
We only have so much time each day, and we choose what fills it. Rather than filling your work commute with secular music, your study break with the latest TV series and your evenings with video games or magazines, use a few of these times to fill your mind with Christ.
If you’re struggling with sin—boundaries with your boyfriend, rebellion against your parents, laziness, lying or anger—take a look at what is filling your mind. Is every spare moment being filled with “harmless” media? While these things are indeed available and you’re free to use them, you need to ask yourself if they are benefiting your walk with God.
Do whatever is necessary to fill your mind with Christ—whether it’s stopping something completely or just cutting back. This opens your mind to talk to God, to listen for His answers and to relate to Him the way He wants to relate to you. He is your Counselor and your Friend, and He’s just waiting for you to take the time to hear Him.
Turn Complaints to Adoration
Complaining is a hard habit to break! We tend to think complaining is a “safe” sin. It doesn’t hurt anyone, and it’s not really complaining…it’s just venting. Right?
God doesn’t view it that way. When we complain, we’re saying, “God, you aren’t big enough, gracious enough or trustworthy enough to help me with this situation.” This is exactly what the Israelites did, with dire consequences (Exodus 16). Science has even proven that “venting” doesn’t actually fix anything—instead, it ingrains negative thought patterns into your brain and actually heightens negative emotions. Complaining doesn’t help you and it certainly doesn’t help your listeners!
Turn complaints into adoration. This will take practice, but the Christian life is not natural or easy—it takes discipline! So train yourself to change your impulse to complain into an opportunity to adore Christ. What has He done for you lately? How does His character bless you? What did He do for you through the gospel? Remind yourselves of these truths. This is your everyday worship.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29)