[This is one of those in the middle of the night ‘inspirations’ that occasion the thought that I can already tell that this is going to turn into a blog post. The [] will indicate a side conversation with the Reader as we proceed.]
As you are about to lie down on your bed, or maybe you’re sitting on the edge of your bed, or just as you lay your head on the pillow and pull up the covers… where’s your mind? Perhaps you are prioritizing your ‘to do’ list for the next day or maybe you begin thinking about the should do’s, the hafta do’s, the wanna do’s?, the gotta do’s? Does this enhance sleep for you? Does it deter it until you have some sort of ‘tomorrow’s plan’?
[To answer your question… no this is not stream of consciousness or an irrelevant question of the day. Sleep is crucial to our mental and health condition.]
Do you ever have a Worship/Praise song that was part of the Sunday church service stick in your mind? I seem to… all the time. This Sunday we sang ‘Shout for Joy’. If you aren’t familiar, google the title and you’ll see the words. The phrase that seems to play over and over in my thoughts is that I am filled when I worship. I’m not telling the Father something He doesn’t already know… but I get to say it.
Soooo, I think I’m going to change my end of the day. To what? I know that I sometimes throw a ‘thank you Lord …’ Kinda lame. Good focus but surely I can do better. So what I’ve decided is to focus on Worship. To be grateful to the One who is willing to continue helping me become… and so much more.
There’s a phrase – ‘Worship Him with gladness’ which set me to thinking. Wouldn’t this be a terrific way to end the day? [Yes, start the day too.] So…… how does one ‘do’ this? It begins and is individualized by each of us – how do we worship? Do we know the difference between when we are praising versus when we are worshipping? Does this make a difference? [I would argue – Yes.] However, as in every spiritual matter – it depends on us: what we’ve learned, what we do, how we do what we’ve learned and are we progressing in this? Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be [c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].” AMP
You did see that you WILL prove for yourself what the will of God is: good, acceptable, perfect. This is a huge benefit of worship. To me, this means that at the end of the day, I can look back and see how I have learned, understood, applied – judged – the value of my day. The Message Bible phrases this as:
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
The Message Bible puts it so spot on – our lives in our world in which we live. And we can worship the Lord who is with us in our day. Worship, however you define this, is a wonderful way to end the day.
