10 Ways of Worshiping Without Music

Okay, Dave and Jay, don’t have a conniption fit!  Music adds greatly to our worship services and personally is one of the main ways I connect deeply with God.

But, I read an article by Rick Warren (I think it was written by him – it was attached to our “40 Days of Purpose” campaign material) that maintained that worship shouldn’t be just a part of our lives -- like only the one hour we “worship” on Sunday mornings) -- it should be a part of everything we do! Hopefully, you came to that conclusion when you did your study during week #2 of our campaign: “Planned for God’s Pleasure.”

As you probable discovered: Worship is the process of turning our entire life over to God. Everything we do can – and should – be an act of worship.

How do we apply that to our lives? Are there actually spiritual habits that we can build into our lives that help us to worship God more deeply? Obviously there must be or I wouldn’t have asked the question J.  So … let me suggest (with help from Rick Warren) ten habits that can help build worship into your life on a daily basis.

1. Worship through prayer. Think about the issues you usually pray about. How much of your prayer life is about you and how much of it is about God? Without a doubt God wants us to be able to share everything that is going on in our life, but he wants us to get to know him better, too. When we affirm who God is to us through our prayers, we put our prayer life in proper perspective.

2. Get in a regular habit of reading the Bible. The Bible says that we worship God in “spirit and in truth.” How can we ever worship God without a clear understanding of who he is? The truth about God, found in the scriptures, is essential to worship.

3. Obey God.  That means we need to do what we know is right.  We need to listen to God and respond accordingly – even when it’s hard.

4. Tithe. If you want to know what you worship in your life, look at your checkbook register. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mathew 6:21) Enough said.

5. Build deep relationships with other Christians. During the third section of 40 Days of Purpose, we will talk about how we are “Formed for God’s Family.” We bring God pleasure by getting to know others and being known by them. Small groups are one way.  If you don’t yet belong to a small group, it’s not too late – call me and I’ll get you in.

6. Share your faith. Part of worshiping God means that we are willing to proclaim him to others.  There are lots of ways to do that. But they all require us to do something. Take time this week to do just that!

7. Serve others. Jesus tells us that “when you did it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did to me!” In other words, when we serve one another, we are really serving him. Who can you “serve” this week?

8. Build into your life the attitude of thankfulness. Sometimes this requires looking at the world through a different set of eyes. When we look through the lens of thankfulness, we see our lives – and everything in them – as gifts from God. Maybe a good way to start and end each day is to thank God for all of the good things in your life.

9. Begin turning over to God areas of your life that you have never committed to him. God doesn’t want just 90 percent of your life; he wants all of it. We all still have areas of our lives that are holding us back from a deeper relationship with him. What are those areas? Only you know that. Two good places to look are your checkbook and your planner. Look at the areas of your life where you spend the most money and the most time. Do they honor God?

10. Live a life of purpose. God has a reason for your existence. In fact, He has five: fellowship, discipleship, service, mission, and worship. God doesn’t want you to waste your life. And that’s what this “40 Days of Purpose” is all about.

The purpose of worship is the foundation of the other four purposes. Fellowship without the spirit of worship is just “hanging out.” Discipleship without worship is nothing but a fruitless mental exercise. Service without worship is called “spinning your wheels.”  Mission without worship is a misplaced sales pitch.

Worship isn’t simply one area of your life; it is your life. It is my prayer that this month we all will become more worshipful and become closer to God in the process. 

Have a great month, and as always, I’ll see you on Sunday.

Pastor Tom