Do you ever know something is coming and as a result, you adjust in preparation?
For example, you know that you're going to have a big, less healthy meal for dinner, so you have a salad at lunch. You know that you're going to be up late over the weekend, so you get to bed earlier during the week. You know that you're not going to have access to workout equipment on a trip, so you ensure you hit the gym every day before you leave. You aren't sure how an appointment is going to go, so you have someone commit to calling you at a certain time so you have a way out if you need it!
When we know an obstacle or a distraction is coming our way, we prepare by adjusting and even pulling in the opposite direction beforehand.
This kind of thinking can be helpful when maintaining our physical or relational health, but could it help our spiritual health as well?
We know there are forces at work now and in the future which could easily pull us away from wholehearted worship of God. What if we intentionally prepared to resist that pull?
Colossians 2:8 describes those forces clearly and calls us to resistance. “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” Romans 12:1-2 talks about this kind of worship-fueled resistance. “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. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Jesus himself in Matthew 20:25-26 talks about resisting the pattern of the world and walking in his new pattern. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
There is an undeniable pull in our world towards self, sin, and destruction. Therefore we are called to turn our hearts and minds fully to God and worship. In order to resist the pull of self-absorption, we are to surrender ourselves to God, to allow our heart, soul, mind, and strength to be transformed by who God is. Worship becomes our way of resisting the pull of this world.
As Jesus said in Matthew 20, we reject the way of the world and we walk in a new pattern. That pattern is servanthood. Whoever wants to be great is to be the servant of all. In Isaiah 53, the prophet anticipates the work Jesus would do. Many Bible translators have put a heading over this passage, entitling it “The Suffering Servant.” It is there we read, “But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.”
Many churches today describe their worship service content as “liturgy.” This English word is translated from a Greek word that can mean “public work” or “public service.” The literal meaning of that Greek word is “work of the people.” This definitional history is the reason why so many followers of Jesus have made the connection between worship and service. If our corporate worship gathering is “the work of the people,” then our individual service seems to be a natural expression of our corporate worship.
Choosing each day to serve others is a pattern played out in Scripture. There’s a reason that the description of God’s work in saving humanity in Ephesians 2:1-9 is immediately followed by Ephesians 2:10 - a call to do the good works we were created to do. God’s work in us doesn’t end with our salvation; His work in us begins with saving us from the power of sin and death, and it continues in the good works He planned for us long ago.
If worship is our response to who God is and what God has done, then service is an expression of that response. Here are three practical ways we can serve others today.
1. Ask God to show you ways to worship Him through serving His creation. We pray for a lot of things in a given day - health, financial provision, healing of broken relationships, or clarity about an important decision. I've discovered that when we align our prayers with the expressed will of God in Scripture, we're praying for things God has already committed to doing. God loves to answer prayers like that! When we pray a prayer like this, we can be confident opportunities will come.
2. Intentionally leave margin in your calendar. How many times have you been torn internally because you saw an opportunity to make a difference that conflicted with an overflowing schedule? Often, our busy schedules and tendencies to over-committed lifestyles prevent us from serving others. When we leave margin in our calendar, we have space to seize God-given opportunities to serve others.
3. Look for people who are “sitting alone.” Do you remember the lunchroom at school when you were a kid? Often, you’d find certain kids sitting alone each day. Now that we’re grown up, we don’t have a daily moment when isolation is so easily seen. However, if we keep our eyes open for those who seem lonely, or express their struggle with isolation and loneliness, we can worship God through service by moving towards them.
Multiple times in the last year, I’ve heard the words of Young & Free’s song, “World Outside Your Window.” In the bridge of the song, they sing “It’s not time to be silent. Don’t you dare hide your light. There’s a world outside your window.”
RELATED CONTENT: “World Outside Your Window” by Young & Free
When we have been pulled down the path of self-absorption and are caught up in over-extended schedules, we not only miss the opportunity to share our light and speak words of life; we also miss an opportunity to worship the One who is our hope by serving those in the world around us.
Keep your eyes open - there are invitations to worship God through serving to come your way today!
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer with the coolest last name ever. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the parents of three “little savages.” He helps hurting people forgive others through his Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com
