4 Ways to Worship With Your Life

by Laura MacCorkle

Every wonder why it seems so much easier to make "worship" a verb for
three hours on a Sunday morning or two hours on a Wednesday night?

What happens when we get back out into the real world? You know ... like
when you're standing in the "Express - 10 Items or Less" line at the
grocery store and the guy in front of you has got a week's worth of food to
check out. Grrrr.

Yes, that's when real worship kicks in.

So how can you honor the Lord when it gets down to the nitty-gritty of
living? How can you worship Him with your life? Try these 14 ways on for
size. ...

1. Love the unlovely. Leviticus 19:18It's easy to love the people

you like. But how about those you don't? Like the lady in choir who talks
incessantly about herself. You don't want to hear another word about her
uncle's brother's cousin's co-worker's foot problem. But like the church
choir lady, perhaps you are someone else's "unlovely." Think about that
the next time she corners you. Try seeing her and loving her the way God
sees and loves you.

2. Give God your firstfruits. Proverbs 3:9Whatever is precious

to you right now in your life, try giving it to God and see what happens.
Perhaps it's a chunk - or all! -- of your bonus check from work. Maybe one
of your firstfruits is your time. Try giving your entire day off to the Lord.
Spend that time in prayer. Or reading Scripture. Or finishing long-promised
items on your "honey-do" list.

3. Pick up litter. 1 Peter 4:10How many times do you pass the

same crushed up Coke can that's been on the sidewalk for a week now?
Trash pickup isn't listed as a specific spiritual gift per se, but perhaps lifting
a hand - and a plastic baggy -- to clean up the world around you is exactly
what God is calling you to do.
4. Be neighborly. Borrow some sugar. Luke 10:25-37As
believers, everyone is our neighbor. But sometimes we forget that our
neighbors are really our neighbors as described in Luke. Whether we live
in a high-rise or on several country acres, we all have people who live next
to us. Become a fisher of neighbors and extend your hand to them. Make
them wonder why you should care.

5. Say "please" and "thank you." 1 Peter 2:17These two

words do secure second glances these days. When you're polite to whom
you're talking, people will notice. And hopefully they will be changed. Plus,
since we are made in God's image, we are ultimately showing respect to
our heavenly King. Remember that the next time you think a cashier is
rude and not worthy.

6. Be stealthy. Give in secret. Matthew 6:1-4Have you ever

noticed how exciting it is to do something nice for someone anonymously?
If you found your newspaper at your front door instead of all the way down
at the end of the driveway, would you be upset? Or if your dinner bill was
already covered when it came time to pay up, would you refuse such
kindness? Your "giving in secret" opportunities are endless.

7. Show your muscle. Help the weak. 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Do you know someone who is spiritually weaker than you? Come
alongside your brother or sister in Christ and walk with them, as the Lord
guides you in helping to strengthen their faith. Discipleship and mentoring
opportunities abound for all ages and levels of spiritual maturity. Ask the
Lord how you can help someone learn to lean more heavily on Him.

8. Cut out the distractions. Turn off the tube. Philippians

4:8We're talking radical. Go ahead and turn off your television for a day. A
week. A month. A year! See if you're less distracted and more in tune with
what the Lord is saying in your life. See if "miraculously" you have more
time to meditate on God's Word and serve Him better.

9. Give up the gossip. Proverbs 18:8Sure, at first it seems fun to

dish. There's laughter involved and you feel better about yourself when you
magnify someone else's failures and foibles, right? Wrong. What goes
down smooth and tasty will later only promote dissension and do your
heart and mind no good. The next time you encounter a gossip circle or
situation, try saying something nice about the person in question. Or better
yet, be drastic and just walk away.

10. Forget about the dust bunnies. Open up your home.

Luke 10:38It may seem like a no-brainer, but the simple act of opening
your home to others can be pleasing to the Lord. Whether you're living on
the side of a cliff in a glass house or in a trailer park, your home can be
used for God's glory. A comfy place to sit, a hot cup of coffee and
meaningful conversation are all that's needed. So put out the welcome
mat, and see what He can do.

11. Take care of yourself. Romans 12:1Your body is the temple

of the Holy Spirit. And as a living sacrifice, it represents the totality of all
that you are and do for the Lord. Do you treat it as you should? Or is your
visible form merely a receptacle for the fast-food drive-thru, a pack of
smokes and the effects of daily couch time? Take inventory and ask the
Lord how to make your body a better home for His Spirit.

12. Drive the speed limit. Romans 13:1-5How does one worship
the Lord by keeping the speedometer in check? By submitting to an earthly
authority and obeying its rules and regulations, we are submitting to God,
our heavenly ruler who has established this system. Remember this the
next time you're passing through a school speed zone when you're late for
work.

13. Lend a hand. And a shoulder. Galatians 6:2If you live on

the fourth floor of an apartment walk-up, then you know it's no fun to carry
up the groceries each week. Likewise, it's not always a thrill to deal with
the incredible burden of our weaknesses. When a fellow believer is
weighed down by temptation or spiritual failure, how will you help shoulder
the load? Through prayer and encouragement, you can "carry each other's
burdens and fulfill the law of Christ."

14. Forgive. And forget. Colossians 3:13Easier said than done.

Think of the person you feel has wronged you the most in your lifetime.
Have you forgiven him or her as the Lord forgave you? Holding grudges
only creates bitterness in our hearts and keep us from experiencing the
freedom of forgiveness. It's not achieved with an add-water-and-mix
formula, so ask the Lord to reveal whom He will help you forgive today.
And let the healing begin.

Granted, there's no magic cure-all that will have us worshipping 365 days a
year. No late-night infomercial with a 30-day success story can do it. Nor
an inspirational speaker's set of 24 discs at the low, low price of $99.99.

But the Lord will help us if we seek Him. Consider each day your fresh start
in honoring and serving the Lord with body, mind and soul. With our words
and deeds -- with everything in our being -- we can choose to worship our
heavenly Father with our lives.