Worship as a Lifestyle

In his best-selling book entitled The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren makes the following simple, yet deeply profound statement in Chapter 8: "You were planned for God's pleasure." He goes on to say that the way we bring pleasure to God is through our worship. This is why Jesus makes it clear that we are to "worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants" (Jn. 4:23, GNB). For many people today, worship is often understood as either music, or as a certain part of a church service that is called "the worship time." In such churches, people usually expect a few introductory "praise songs" which are rather upbeat, loud, and exciting, while "the worship" time is usually slow, quiet and much more initimate. And yet, as Warren points out in his book, "worship is far more than these expressions. Worship is a lifestyle."

When we view worship as simply a part of a Sunday meeting, the tendancy is to only see it as something that is meant to benefit ourselves alone. How often have you heard people say, "I loved the worship today. I got a lot out of it." Or maybe you have heard others say, "I didn't get anything out of the worship today, it just seemed flat." Comments like this miss a fundamental point: Worship isn't for you. It is for God! You see, we don't worship to please ourselves or to somehow find a blessing. We worship to bring glory, honour, and pleasure to Almighty God, the Lord of heaven and earth. Worship is always for and about God. This is why we are meant to see that every activity in this life can be transformed into an act of worship that brings pleasure to God. Truly, God wants our whole lives to reflect a heart of worship for Him, and Him alone.