A Lifestyle of Worship

Scripture: Deuteronomy 12:4-8
4 “Do not worship the Lord your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods. 5 Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose...the place where his name will be honored. 6 There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings...there you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you. 8 “Your pattern of worship will change..."

Observations:
God was pretty specific about where, when, why, and how He desired His people to worhsip Him. When you take into account that worship to the peoples of the Ancient Near East was culturally an entire way of life, it was as if God was saying "live differently than the world around you". God expected His people to "worship" differently than those who didn't know Him as an indication to the rest of the world that they were in relationship with the one true God. As they entered into the Promised Land, God assured them that their worship was about to change. Up until that point they kind of did things how they pleased (vs. 8) but God made it clear that a lifestyle of worship (doing things God's way) would be required of them if they intended to continue experiencing His blessings. When God's people lived a lifestyle of worship, He ensured that His name would be honored.

Application:
We often take worship for granted and don't really give that much attention to how pleasing it is to God. The reality is God is that God is very interested in how we worship Him, especially when we understand worship more as lifestyle to be lived than just an experience at church. If we're not careful we can make worship much more about us than about God and about an occasional expression than an attitude of our heart. If we truly want to honor God with our worship we can't simply do as we please, rather it requires that we center our lives around God's commands and living in the way He prescribes in every situtation. Anything else is less than He deserves.

Prayer:
Father, teach us what it means to live a lifestyle of worship that will truly honor You. Help us to live in such a way that we stand out from the world as we seek to conform our lives to the truth of Your Word. Amen.


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