In the past two articles we learned how to draw near to God and how to lead family devotions. In this article, I hope you will see the ultimate way for you and your family to know and respond to God’s love is through worship. Worship is not just something for us to do at church. Worshipping God is the most important thing you will do both now and for eternity.

Our Highest Purpose

Early in his ministry on earth, Jesus says that he came to gather worshippers for the Father:

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:22–24, ESV)

What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth? Jesus answers that for us in Luke 10:27 when he tells us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Our Greatest Joy

Nothing can give us more joy than to fulfill the purpose we were made for—which is to praise the One who made us.

C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia and many other books, put it this way: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”

Think about how we naturally respond in praise when we see our children or spouse do something wonderful. How do you react when your favorite football team scores a touchdown? How much more should we celebrate and worship the God who made us and saves us?

How To Worship

Is our invitation to worship a special thing we do, or is it part of our everyday life? Yes and yes!

Worshipping God is what we were designed to do for eternity, but we get to start worshipping God today, right in the midst of our daily lives. Here are three ways to live a life full of worship:

1. Corporate Worship

The word “corporate” might make you think of business meetings or company policies, but the word “corporate” comes from the Latin word for body, and it just means something “relating to … a unified body of individuals” (Merriam Webster). When we talk about corporate worship, we’re talking about joining with other believers to participate in praying, singing, praising, confessing, hearing God’s Word, and responding to God’s Truth.

When we respond in worship as a community, the Holy Spirit moves powerfully and convicts open hearts. While he was on earth, Jesus told his followers, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” That is still true today—when we gather together to worship God, he is there among us.

This Sunday, go to a local church, fellowship, or house church. If you don’t have a church home, ask your friends who do to host you and your family. They would love to take you all. If you do have a church home, go regularly and ask other families to go with you.

2. Individual and Family Worship

When you are singing and thinking about God, it’s hard to do anything but honor God. In Ephesians 5, God compares the shallow gladness of alcohol with the delight of worshipping God:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18–20, ESV)

To be in a state of praise and worship is a beautiful thing. Imagine being filled that way all the time. How much better would daily family life be if we spent more time praising God and less time worrying. Think about it: If your kids are singing and praising, how can they be fighting?

Worshipping God refreshes us and aligns our minds with God so that we start to follow God more naturally. Those verses in Ephesians are the turning point in the book, where the Apostle Paul transitions from describing who God is and how much he loves us to describing how we obey God and live in a way that honors him. When we are worshipping God and celebrating his love, our obedience starts to come naturally.

Play Christian worship music in your cars and homes regularly and see the difference it makes in the hearts and minds of you and your family. Here are three great examples:

• “How Great is our God” (Chris Tomlin) celebrates who God is in different languages

• “What a Friend” (Matt Maher) celebrates what Jesus has done for us

• “I Will Rise” (Chris Tomlin) celebrates how we will worship forever in heaven

3. Living Our Lives As Worship

The most complete definition of worship encompasses every part of our lives.

Romans 12:1 says “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

This means we are so grateful for what God has done for us that it fuels us to give the rest of our lives back to him, every day, all day. This means sacrificing for others as Jesus did for us and realizing we are doing it for God out of the overflow of what he has done for us. What a joy!

Of course we are far from perfect, but as we worship and obey God, God renews us and confirms for us that this is the right and true way to live.

It might sound crazy or even impossible to worship God all the time—try it! Ask God to help you live a life of worship to him, and try to remind yourself of how amazing he is throughout your day. This will fuel you to praise him and honor him in the way you go about each task during the day.

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Need more help applying this to your life? Reach out to me any time. I am happy to help.