On Sunday my church was on fire. The message taught and the worship that accompanied it were sewn together in this perfect little quilt called Sunday Worship. People responded. As the team closed the service with a song congregants came forward worshipping, kneeling, singing out, and declaring that through it all our eyes would be on Him. It was one of those moments.
When I wake up on Monday though, I have to ask myself, “Is my worship the same today as it was on Sunday?” It is easy to respond and worship when surrounded by other people who have gathered together for that very reason. Music has the ability to bring out an emotional response we may not have had otherwise. And yes, there is a difference between congregational worship and personal/individual worship. Taking all of those into consideration, we still need to check in with ourselves. Do I still trust and follow the God I worshipped on Sunday?
To effectively lead others in worship, our Sunday worship must be an overflow from our daily worship. In this case I do not mean worship just in a sense of playing music and singing songs. The worship I refer to as daily worship includes that but also includes our time with God. Are we spending time with God throughout the week? Are we reading His truth? Are we coming to Him in prayer acknowledging our dependence upon Him? Are we following His ways instead of our own? Are we offering all of ourselves to God or just the convenient parts? It becomes too easy to show up on Sunday and realize the last time you focused on who God is, was the week before. How can we stand before our churches and pour out exhortation when our own vessels are empty?
Maybe you’re in a great place right now. I encourage you to not only stay the course but to include others on your path. Is there a team member that could benefit from some one-on-one time with you? Make it a priority to share what a life of worship is with someone else. Maybe you’re life has become too busy for time with God or maybe you have just become stale in your faith. Jump into God’s Word, right now, and ask Him to show you something new. Grab someone close to you and ask them to check in with you, or better yet to join you in making God a significant part of your everyday life.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” – Romans 12:1 (NLT)
Worship on a Budget