"Too Busy NOT to Praise"
We need to move from pressure to praise. We can get so busy that we don't take the time to say "Thank You" to those we love, including God. We have lots of "stuff" but we're lost.
A 90-year-old man was crying on the sidewalk of a city. Someone stopped and was trying to calm the man down. The old man began to tell how he had a beautiful 24-year-old wife at home who was a great cook, cleaned the house, and really took care of him well. The other person asked the old man, "Well, what's wrong then?" The old man replied, "I don't know how to get home."
Praising helps us get home. We stop what we're doing and say thank you to God for what He has done for us and for who He is.
We move from pressure to praise:
1. When praise and worship is a priority.
• We will be available to God. Romans 12:1. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? How available are we to praise and worship God? This can be seen by looking at what sets the pace of our life. Is it work, family, house, volunteering, leisure, education, TV? What duties crowd out worship? Which "can't" be shifted elsewhere? Are we available to God?
• We will be Active. Psalm 84:2b (NLT) With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Singing, standing, smiling, crying, moving, lifting hands, clapping.
• We will be eager to have our thirst for God quenched. Ps. 84:5-7 (NLT) Happy are those who are strong in the LORD, who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains! They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.
• We will be willing. It is a decision we make to trust God. Ps. 84:12 (NLT) O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in you.
2. By understanding our purpose for worship.
3. By preparation. Just as the band, tech team, drama team, and planning team prepare for worship, each worshipper needs to prepare ahead of time.
• Saturday rest and leaving early enough to arrive on time for worship.
• Worship through the week—Praise Vacations.
4. By processing worship afterwards and the days following.
Reflect on the meaning of God's message for you and respond to God's call to action.
Worship is the middle of our week. Anticipate—Experience—Process
Worship defines all other activity, overflowing into our family, our friendships, and our work. Keeping a day of rest and worship is God's practical plan for our on-going renewal of body and Spirit. Jesus taught "The Sabbath was made for the good of man; man was not made for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27
There comes a point where we have to stop talking about worship and just do it. Some of us have personalities that are more reserved and it is hard to break out and actively praise. There is a scene in "Sister Act 2" where a student is hesitant about singing out. But the Sister finally get him to do so. Then later the whole choir breaks out in joyful singing. The Sister says, " "Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we are now a choir."
When we really praise God, God is in the audience cheering us on. And we can turn to one another and say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we are now a church."
We're all different and so we worship God differently. Contemporary worship is designed for people who are looking for a different approach to worship. This approach is active, visual, and joyful. It's not the only approach to worship but it is one valid one.
But whatever way you choose to worship, God would invite you to actively worship. Get involved. Actively checkout God and what it might be like to have a relationship with Jesus. When you begin that process, you're active even though you might not be actively participating in the singing. That's O.K. But keep on actively pursuing God whom is actively pursuing you. My hope is that you will see others around you who are experiencing God's presence and that you will be drawn into that presence also.
Rich Friendship
We need to move from pressure to praise. We can get so busy that we don't take the time to say "Thank You" to those we love, including God. We have lots of "stuff" but we're lost.
A 90-year-old man was crying on the sidewalk of a city. Someone stopped and was trying to calm the man down. The old man began to tell how he had a beautiful 24-year-old wife at home who was a great cook, cleaned the house, and really took care of him well. The other person asked the old man, "Well, what's wrong then?" The old man replied, "I don't know how to get home."
Praising helps us get home. We stop what we're doing and say thank you to God for what He has done for us and for who He is.
We move from pressure to praise:
1. When praise and worship is a priority.
• We will be available to God. Romans 12:1. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? How available are we to praise and worship God? This can be seen by looking at what sets the pace of our life. Is it work, family, house, volunteering, leisure, education, TV? What duties crowd out worship? Which "can't" be shifted elsewhere? Are we available to God?
• We will be Active. Psalm 84:2b (NLT) With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Singing, standing, smiling, crying, moving, lifting hands, clapping.
• We will be eager to have our thirst for God quenched. Ps. 84:5-7 (NLT) Happy are those who are strong in the LORD, who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains! They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.
• We will be willing. It is a decision we make to trust God. Ps. 84:12 (NLT) O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in you.
2. By understanding our purpose for worship.
3. By preparation. Just as the band, tech team, drama team, and planning team prepare for worship, each worshipper needs to prepare ahead of time.
• Saturday rest and leaving early enough to arrive on time for worship.
• Worship through the week—Praise Vacations.
4. By processing worship afterwards and the days following.
Reflect on the meaning of God's message for you and respond to God's call to action.
Worship is the middle of our week. Anticipate—Experience—Process
Worship defines all other activity, overflowing into our family, our friendships, and our work. Keeping a day of rest and worship is God's practical plan for our on-going renewal of body and Spirit. Jesus taught "The Sabbath was made for the good of man; man was not made for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27
There comes a point where we have to stop talking about worship and just do it. Some of us have personalities that are more reserved and it is hard to break out and actively praise. There is a scene in "Sister Act 2" where a student is hesitant about singing out. But the Sister finally get him to do so. Then later the whole choir breaks out in joyful singing. The Sister says, " "Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we are now a choir."
When we really praise God, God is in the audience cheering us on. And we can turn to one another and say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we are now a church."
We're all different and so we worship God differently. Contemporary worship is designed for people who are looking for a different approach to worship. This approach is active, visual, and joyful. It's not the only approach to worship but it is one valid one.
But whatever way you choose to worship, God would invite you to actively worship. Get involved. Actively checkout God and what it might be like to have a relationship with Jesus. When you begin that process, you're active even though you might not be actively participating in the singing. That's O.K. But keep on actively pursuing God whom is actively pursuing you. My hope is that you will see others around you who are experiencing God's presence and that you will be drawn into that presence also.
Rich Friendship
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