Garbage In – Garbage Out. So What Do You Fill Up With?

We were created to worship. It’s part of our natural design – we can’t escape it. So the question is not “Will we worship?” but rather “WHAT will we worship?” Some worship their career. Some their kids. Some their hobbies. But we all worship something. From a biblical point of view the ideal is that we worship God.

I admit that worship may take several forms. Some people view worship as the congregational singing churches do during a service. Yes, that is one form of worship. Tithing can also be a form of worship. Serving others could be a form of worship. Worship is anything that we do that declares the worth and value of God and how we esteem him.

We as worshippers can develop the habit of worshipping well! Worship should not be a once-a-week event when we go to church. Declaring the value and worth of God should be a daily occurrence in our lives. Richard Foster writes in “The Spirit of the Disciplines”

In worship we engage ourselves with, dwell upon, and express the greatness, beauty, and goodness of God through thought and the use of words, rituals, and symbols…. Practically speaking, the Christian’s worship is most profitable when it is centered upon Jesus Christ. When we worship, we fill our minds and hearts with wonder at him – life, death, resurrection, and work as ascended intercessor. (177-178)

But how do we develop that habit? The same way we develop any habit – with repetition. I encourage you to start repeating worship acts on a regular basis. The three easiest areas to pinpoint worship actions are giving, serving, and words (prayer, song, etc.)

As to giving, start giving regularly to God through your local church or Christian ministry. I won’t be legalistic, but I believe that there is a biblical foundation (foundation, mind you, not a mandate) to giving 10% of one’s income.

As to serving, start actively looking for ways to serve others in Jesus’ name. You can do this in your neighborhood, the kids’ school, your church, or any other place where you can step up.

As to your words, start a daily practice of speaking how much you value God. This is most easily done in prayer or song. Find a good devotional that can lead you in some prayers. I try to make a habit of listening to worship music. There’s a lot of good stuff from the past. There’s a lot of good stuff out there right now. I can’t wait to hear the great song that still have yet to be written. It’s an easy way for me to glorify God and proclaim his worth. Psalm 17:7 says:

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

As one final aid, here are 10 worship songs (in no particular order) that are currently on my playlist that inspire me to worship God.

1. Relentless –
2. One Thing Remains –
3. Glory to God Forever –
4. Desert Song –
5. Whom Shall I Fear –
6. White Flag –
7. When the Stars Burn Down –
8. Come to Me –
9. Ready for You –
10. The Stand –

How about you? What’s your preferred method of worship? How do you think you could grow in your worship habits? What songs move you? I’d love to hear what you worship to/with.