Expressing Worship Thru Service

Just before Christmas season last month, I began a series of messages in which we learned from scripture what priorities God wants us to use as compass headings for a fulfilling life. We looked at the lives of various people who express those priorities.

In Mary, the New Testament sister of Lazarus, we learned the importance of simply loving God. Hannah, the Old Testament mother of Samuel, showed us the importance of abiding in God. This week we interviewed the Apostle Paul, who personified the joy of serving God.

These 3 elements: loving, abiding in and serving God—combine to give us the compass heading we so desperately need as we navigate life. These 3 elements—loving, abiding in and serving God—are what lifestyle worship is all about. Worship is not just a 1-hour service on Saturday or Sunday. Worship is a way of life.

At Mission To Children, we recognize that this reality applies not only to individuals, but to ministries as well. We want worship to be a way of life for this ministry. We seek to grow in our love of God, we are intentional about abiding in Him—that is, walking with God - and we actively express our love by serving Him around the world.

Since we're talking this week about serving God, I'd like to share with you a bit about how you are serving God in India as you participate in the ministry of Mission To Children.

As a part of our evaluation of the ministries in which we're involved, I had the privilege of visiting several of the homes we've provided over the years for destitute children. Many of these kids are orphans. Other children living there may not have lost both of their parents, but their families are living in such poverty that without our help, the children would simply repeat the lifecycle of their parents. They would have little or no education, they would eek out a living doing just what their parents and grandparents have done, and - most important of all - they may know nothing about the love of God.

One way we express our love for God is by helping them. Working with our Indian ministry partners, we help provide them with an education that equips them for adult life in today's world. They also learn habits of hygiene that protect them from illness and disease. Most of all, they learn about the God Who loves them.

I was delighted to spend time with the children and with their supervisors, and witness the way they pursue excellence in their work. Early one morning, I heard singing outside my room, so I went out to see what was happening. Looking across a dirt road, I saw the chapel filled with about 200 children ranging from about 5 years of age to perhaps 9 years of age. There was row after row of youngsters, each child standing still with eyes closed and hands folded in prayer. They were singing prayers of devotion to the Lord before heading off to the classrooms. I was impressed with the absence of fooling around that is so natural for young children. They stood very still, and they sang very loudly. The songs were beautiful melodies sung mostly in minor keys. The kids didn't know I was watching them, and yet they stood and sang so reverently that I sensed the sincerity of their hearts. Those moments were precious.

Each children's home I visited welcomed me as if I were royalty. When I arrived at a home, the students would be waiting for me, arranged in lines on either side of my path to the main building. As I got out of the car and walked between those lines of smiling young faces, they tossed rose petals as I went by them, and chanted "Wel-come! Wel-come! Wel-come!"

Please realize that they were not welcoming Dr. John Garmo as an individual; they were welcoming you - the Mission To Children family - for whom I was simply a representative. Since their inception, these homes have been virtually dependent on the Mission To Children family, which includes many of you who are listening to me by radio today. On their behalf, please accept my thanks for your ministry in their lives.

We've been talking all this week about expressing our love for God by serving others. Such service is a form of worship. Thank you for worshiping with us by helping the needy children of India and many other countries around the world. Only in heaven will you really know the value of your ministry to them through Mission To Children.

© 2007 John Garmo. If you would be interested in using this article, please contact us at Info@MissionToChildren.org.