Life is Worship

Year 5 - Day 161: Today, I am grateful all of life is worship. 

"All of life is worship whether you worship God or something else. Your life advertises what you value most." -John Piper

I have always thought it a bit comical that by the time everyone in the house is dressed in their Sunday best and ready for church, the Sunday morning hustle has resulted in fights for the bathroom, battles for the bacon, missing church shoes... and a mad dash for the car at the last possible minute. 

We arrive in the church parking lot and ... as one man put it so accurately... we put on our "church faces" to present the best possible image. If it weren't so true, it would be funny. 

Some might call that hypocritical, but it is merely being human. We all want to look good on the outside to meet the world, but the Lord knows our hearts. We need... and have... a God who invites us into his presence for refuge, renovation and recharge. Not just on Sunday, but daily. 

Our lives are an advertisement to what matters most.  What or who do we make the lord of our lives? Do we trust that the "lord" we choose will be our shepherd, too?

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. - Psalm 23:1

I've grown quite fond of this verse. It speaks to David's discovery that his peace and satisfaction comes only from God. No matter the circumstances... and his life had really high highpoints and really low down times. His Lord was the shepherd to get him through it all. 

What if we approached each morning with the truth that all of life is worship?

Again, Romans 12:1 comes to mind:

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

We are to take each breath as an act of worship. Think about it.

We can scrub toilets as an act of worship.
We can bake cookies as an act of worship. 
We can plant a garden in worship.
We can mop the floors in worship.
We can mow the lawn in worship. 
We can fill the gas tank in worship.
We can sing in the shower in worship. 
We can help the elderly at the market in worship.
We can clean out the fridge in worship. 

Everything's better with Jesus. I'm not kidding. 

When we present each part of our day... every day...  to God, it is suddenly not so much about what we do, but how we do it. 

And do everything with love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

Actions are evidence. They speak louder than words. They don't earn us heaven. They indicate if we belong to the Lord.  They are part of the uniform we wear in service to the King. Our daily actions are the offering and the evidence of the master we have chosen to serve. Jesus died for all and he pleads our case before the Father, but we have to give him something to work with for our defense. 

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.-1 John 2:1

Actions cannot earn us heaven (a common misconception). Our actions are our offering to the God who gifted us with this day. They matter, but they are not the main thing. Acknowledging him as Lord, seeking Him, learning His truth, asking for His guidance on all of our days are the things that define relationship. To repent with a sincere heart and allow His restoration work in all of our days. 

When He is our purpose, our life becomes worship. 

Today, I am grateful all of life is worship