Lifestyle Worship - Adopting God's Agenda

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Adopting God's Agenda

We are studying the Bible this month so we can understand what it means to make worship a way of life. As we move through November, we are moving into the winter season of the year. It's cold and it's bleak.

I wonder, listening friends: Is it possible that you're also going through a spiritual winter right now? Does your spirit feel just as cold and bleak as the weather outside? If so, I hope these messages from God's Word will help build a bonfire in your soul. As we make worship a way of life, God nourishes our spirit and gives us strength to deepen our roots and grow into a strong that brings delicious fruit in season.

Biologist can tell us a lot about how that happens to a fruit tree. Our question for today is this: How does this happen to our souls? What will happen if we invite true worship to soak into our hearts and nourish our lifestyles?

First of all, when we worship God in spirit and in truth, God's agenda becomes our agenda. We begin to see life as God does. As a result, we begin to operate according to the same plan He has.

What is His agenda? Let's take a brief look at scripture:

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus told His disciples, You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Question: What does Jesus say is the purpose for being a light in this dark world?
Answer: To cause others to glorify our Father in heaven; that is, our purpose is to help others become worshipers of the Most High.
Now let's look at another scripture for God's agenda. In John 4:23, as Jesus talked with the notorious woman at the well, he said, "...the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
Question: For whom does He actively search the world? Is He looking today for eloquent preachers? No. Is He searching for dynamic evangelists? No. How about popular Christian musicians? No. Is He looking for radically converted addicts and athletes? No. How about for jungle-wise missionaries? No.
So what's the answer? According to John 4, His search is much more basic. God wants real worshipers. How they earn their living is less important than how they live their worship.
Let's go to another passage of scripture that reveals God's agenda. In Romans 15, verses 5-6 present Paul's prayer request for the believers in Rome. Here's his request: Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Question: According to Romans 15, how does God view unity among believers?
Answer: He sees unity not as an end in itself, but as a means of expressing an end. He sees unity as a way of glorifying God; He sees unity as an acceptable way to worship.
We'll close with 2 passages with a similar message for us to take through the day ahead: 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:17. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Colossians 3, verse 17 says, "whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." The theme of scripture continues: Anything we say or do should bring glory to God. That is, anything we say or do should be an expression of worship.

So.what's God's agenda? Worship, plain and simple. What, then, will our agenda be if we allow Him to permeate and nourish our hearts? Worship, plain and simple. How elegant and simplifying it is to realize that the main reason we were born was to glorify God. That is lifestyle worship. May you glorify God as you walk through the day ahead.