You have heard me say before, and I am sure you will hear me say it again....
that worship is not just something we do on Sundays.

Take this waterfall, for example. This is a picture of a waterfall we
visited while on vacation in Tennessee. When you are standing there, looking at this amazing and beautiful thing....you can't help but think of the Creator. That is worship! I couldn't help but think while we were on vacation, that I had not worshiped this much in a long time. It was hard not to worship! Everywhere I looked, there was another amazing thing that God created. And then on top of that, the way God had paved for us to have this amazing vacation at little cost to us, the rest and relaxation we experienced, spending uninterrupted time with the family that God has blessed me with....it was a week filled with worship.

This is the type of worship that I should be having everyday....no matter where I am or who I'm with. So, why was it so much easier there. For a lot of reasons, I suppose. Less distractions probably would be at the top of that list. But is that right? Should I be allowing it to be that way? Of course not! But I find myself doing that exact thing time and time again.

So, what can be done? Well, I have a new philosophy of worship that I have formed here recently. This philosophy hopefully will be a help to you, and to me, as we strive to worship God more and more throughout our week.

Here it is:

Our worship on Sunday should not be our only worship, but instead, a reaction to the worship we have been doing all week. It should be the exclamation mark at the end of our sentence that is worship!

If we are not worshiping during the week, then our worship on Sunday is going to be effected. Worship should not be a switch we try to turn off and on, our worship switch should be on all the time. We should constantly be looking for ways to worship in all the places and situations we are in. Not an easy task! I know! But remember....our God is the same God no matter what season we are going through. We are going to have good seasons and bad seasons, but one thing we can always rely on is God! He never changes!

There are so many songs that talk about this very thing, one we just sang this last Sunday.....

"Blessed Be Your Name"

Blessed be Your name:

~ in the land that is plentiful

~ when I'm found in the desert place

~ when the sun's shining down on me

~ when the world is all as it should be

~ on the road marked with suffering

God be blessed through it all, in every season....though sometimes there is pain in the offering

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME, GOD!

That should the song of our heart at all times. Try it! See how it changes your worship this week, and how that then transforms your Sunday worship!

Completely in Awe

Awe:
~an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like
~a mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might

Adore:
~to regard with the utmost esteem, love, and respect; honor
~to pay divine honor to; worship
~to regard with deep, often rapturous love

Why, you may ask, is she defining such words?

Well, I have to admit….I have been singing so many songs over the years that have the word “awe” and “adore” in them, that while I was reading the book Crazy Love, I decided to look them up and see what specific definitions they had. I never realized that the definition of “awe” had the word fear in it. Did you?
Don’t freak out on me! Please keep reading!!
I think that it is important for us to understand that this is a healthy fear. This is a fear that is linked to respect and admiration. It is a fear that gives us a clear understanding of our role as creations of The Almighty. It is a fear that helps us keep in perspective who we are, and who God is.

Hmmm! There’s another word that begs to be defined…

Perspective:
~the relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole
~the ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance

So, this awe and adoration of God helps us keep things in check. It helps us to do a comparison or inventory of importance……
So, what do we find. That’s right…we pale in comparison to God. He is our Creator, King, Savior……but at the same time He is our Friend, and Father. Talk about awe! He is everything! And we don’t even really understand what everything really is. We really don’t even come close to truly fathoming who God is or what He has done. But…….what we do know and can understand, should be enough to drive us to the point of being awestruck before Him.

So, take just a minute! List some of the things that you do know about God, things that you see in His creation, some of the things He has blessed you with or done for you…….

Did you do it?

Here is what I find:
My list is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to who God is and what He has done. But, I also find, that even though we pale in comparison to Him….we are so important to Him that He sent His Son to die for us.

I don’t know about you, but I am in awe!

Higher Purpose

Do you ever feel selfish? Like you are putting too much emphasis on things that you should not? I’m sure you’re probably wondering where I am going with this!

Here, let me explain!....
Do you ever get overwhelmed by things that people say about you or to you? Especially things that couldn’t be further from the truth!? Does it creep into your thoughts during the day? Does it make it uncomfortable for you to be around that person?

I had a couple of experiences in KY that left me feeling completely hurt. Some individuals who didn’t like the way that I was doing my job (not because I was not doing it right or to the best of my ability) made some accusations and hurtful comments about my character and integrity. These words and comments that where untrue, made it a very painful time and made it very hard to do my job. Every time those individuals were around me, I would feel so uncomfortable. It was a really tough situation to deal with. I really let it get to me and infect me.

When I go to God with situations like this, I always come away with the same response (here’s where the “feeling selfish” comes in). Jesus had people who made false accusations about His character and integrity every day of His life. He was constantly being ridiculed and called a liar and a fraud. He was beaten, spat upon, and eventually hung on a cross!..........How did Jesus handle himself? He didn’t wallow in self pity, and he certainly did not let it affect His JOB! He continued on, doing what He knew God put Him here for. He had a higher purpose!

So, what do I come away from this time with God with?.....yep, that feeling of being selfish. There are so many things out there that are bigger than what I am going through. I was put here with a higher purpose, and letting these things get in the way of doing all I can for God, is not the way to go! God wants me to put these things aside. He understands I am hurting (He went through the same things, and even more), but I hear Him say, “Don’t let it weigh you down. Forgive, as I have forgiven. You are here for a reason, my child. I have a higher purpose for you.”

I truly hope this helps you if you are going through a situation that is similar to the ones I have had. It is not an easy task, but I promise you, you come out the other side feeling a weight lifted off of you like you can’t believe. Just give the situation to God. Forgive those individuals and concentrate on your higher purpose! Don’t let it affect the JOB we have to do for God.