The Lifestyle of Worship
The final section of this essay looks at the importance of having a lifestyle of worship. Again two biblical words will help highlight this point. The Hebrew word Abodah and Greek word Latreia are both translated either worship or service. Probably the most famous example of this duplicity of meaning can be found in Romans 12:1:
" I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Ro 12:1, NKJV)
The word service is the Greek word Latreia. Here we see that worship is not only to do with a deep longing for God in the heart, and then an overflow into actions. But this verse shows us the deep importance of the totality of how we live. Words and actions can be cheap, but a lifestyle truly expresses what is inside. For example if you are singing a song of worship “Lord I love you, have your way in me”, and then go out and deliberately abuse your body, and use it to bring dishonour to God’s name, then it shows a fake, superficial understanding of worship. Worship can never be disconnected from the whole ‘you’. When you come to God in times of worship He not only looks at the words we speak and sing, but he looks at the ‘words’ our lives speak throughout every minute of the day. Now a cautionary note; God is not looking for ‘perfect’ worshippers, because who is perfect? But he is looking for honest worshippers. Those who are seeking Him with all that they have (even when they fail and stumble).
The final section of this essay looks at the importance of having a lifestyle of worship. Again two biblical words will help highlight this point. The Hebrew word Abodah and Greek word Latreia are both translated either worship or service. Probably the most famous example of this duplicity of meaning can be found in Romans 12:1:
" I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Ro 12:1, NKJV)
The word service is the Greek word Latreia. Here we see that worship is not only to do with a deep longing for God in the heart, and then an overflow into actions. But this verse shows us the deep importance of the totality of how we live. Words and actions can be cheap, but a lifestyle truly expresses what is inside. For example if you are singing a song of worship “Lord I love you, have your way in me”, and then go out and deliberately abuse your body, and use it to bring dishonour to God’s name, then it shows a fake, superficial understanding of worship. Worship can never be disconnected from the whole ‘you’. When you come to God in times of worship He not only looks at the words we speak and sing, but he looks at the ‘words’ our lives speak throughout every minute of the day. Now a cautionary note; God is not looking for ‘perfect’ worshippers, because who is perfect? But he is looking for honest worshippers. Those who are seeking Him with all that they have (even when they fail and stumble).
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