Seeing life God’s way…
I found this observation by Ravi Zacharias on the nature of worship and its connection to the whole of life, a life lived consciously as it should be before God, very helpful. May the Lord bless it to you individually as us as the church collectively as we approach 2016:
You may remember the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, told to us in Daniel 6. King Darius had issued an order throughout the nation that for thirty days, anyone found praying to anyone or anything other than the king would be sentenced to death.
Daniel did not comply. He refused to rationalize that the order would remain in effect for only thirty days. He rejected the pragmatic decision that he could further his career if he complied. He simply would not bow down to any being other than God.
Worship is exclusionary. You cannot compromise on worship.
What exactly does “worship” mean?
The Bible uses several words to describe worship, but the two key terms mean “to bow down” and “to serve.”
They appear in the same verse on only one occasion, when Jesus responds to Satan after the third temptation: “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Matthew 4: 10).
Plainly put, worship means “reverence and action.”
Why is this so important? It’s vital because it puts everything else in life into perspective. Worship is coextensive with life. Worship is ultimately “seeing life God’s way.”
— from ‘The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives’
by Ravi Zacharias