What Does Your Worship Look Like?

On Friday evening, we had the opportunity to go to the Hillsong concert in Tulsa.  "We" meaning my husband and me and nine other friends...it was a blast!  If your eyes have not been opened to Hillsong United worship music, it is the absolute best when it comes to true praise and worship.  I think what I love the most about their music is that the lyrics are straight out of scripture.  What better way to worship our Lord than to sing His words back to Him?  Check out the picture below to get a glimpse of the glorious evening we had in true, unashamed worship...

I think that is what Heaven will be like.  There were thousands of people in the arena.  Young, old, black, white, short, tall.  All kinds of people all from different walks of life, but with one common thread...love of our Lord Jesus.  I'll never forget looking down a few rows from where we were sitting and seeing a sweet older lady with her arms raised, reaching out to the Lord in worship.  I found myself in the same position, reaching up, trying to get as close to the Lord as I possibly could.  At one point during the concert, I looked around and saw what seemed like every arm raised to the Lord.  What an awesome picture of what true worship looks like.  You see worship isn't about raising your arms, but it's about realizing your need of the Lord and expressing it in whatever way you can.  When I lift my hands in worship, it is almost like I am a little girl again, reaching up for my daddy to pick me up.  When it comes to my walk with the Lord, I often find myself needing to be picked up and dusted off.  I can't begin to put into words how grateful I am that my Heavenly Father picks me up every time, just like my daddy here on earth did for me when I was a little girl.

The question that has been rolling around in my head is, what does worship look like in my everyday life?  It's great to go to a Hillsong concert and be caught up in worship through music, but am I worshipping God on a daily basis?  A friend of mine once said, "It's not true worship unless you sacrifice something." 

Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God: this is your spiritual worship."  A Christian life isn't about getting what you can out of God.  A Christian life is about giving all you can to God.  There is a reason why Paul used the word "urge" in this passage.  To urge someone is to persuade, entreat, or to press with a driving force.  Paul is begging us to present our bodies as a sacrifice to the Lord.  We know from the sacrifices God commanded in the Old Testament that He wanted pure, blemish-free sacrifice.  The truth for us is that we can never be blameless until we repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness.  Once we have received forgiveness from God and He has cleansed us of our sin, only then can we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him.  Worship in our everyday lives is not about hearing our favorite worship song.  True worship of the Lord is when we offer our lives to Him and give Him all we have to be used by Him and for His Kingdom.

When we have offered our lives to God for His will to be carried out through us, then we can be true, affective witnesses for Him.  Hebrews 13:15 says, "Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name."  This verse says "continually offer up a sacrifice of praise..."  Continually.  Not just when you are at a Hillsong concert and not just when your favorite songs are on.  We are told in God's Word to offer up praises to God all the time.  I love the idea that our lips can bear fruit.  My friend Robin always says, "Your words can speak life or they can speak death."  As a sacrifice of praise to God, let your words speak life today.  I've heard that on an average, it takes someone seven times to hear the Gospel before they make a decision for Christ.  You see, you may not be the seventh person and get to lead someone to a saving relationship in Christ, but you might be the first or sixth.  If we choose to worship the Lord through the fruit of our lips and confess Him with our words, you never know what seeds you are planting in someone else's life. 

So what does your worship look like?  I know that when I step back and examine my life as worship, I can use a tune-up, but we can be encouraged by the fact that God is willing to pick us up and dust us off so we can get back on track.  Today, I want to challenge you to praise God with your lips.  Talk with one person about God.  It doesn't have to be a forced act or you giving your full testimony to a stranger (but if it is, that's awesome!).  Today, choose to praise God for something in front of one person and see what happens.  I promise, it's addicting!  I am praying for you as you speak life with your actions and your lips!  Love you, friends!