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Get a Fresh Perspective on Worship
Recently I was reading in my home office when my son Jonathan came in. He’s sixteen and tall—over six feet—and strong. I looked up and smiled and said, “Hey, buddy, what do you need?” He looked back at me and said, “Nothing. I just thought I’d hang out with you a little while. I was just thinking about you, Dad.”
Talk about making an old dad feel all mushy inside! How cool is that? My teenage son was thinking about me and just wanted to come and be with me with no real agenda. The message I received is that he loves me. He didn’t want anything from me at that time other than to be with me. The Lord revealed something to me during that time with Jonathan. God whispered to me, “Chris, this is worship. And I like it when you just want to be near me. When you just think about me throughout your day, regardless of where you are or what you’re doing.”
Whatever we worship, we think about most of the time. If you love golf, you’re often thinking, I wonder if I can fit in a little time at the driving range this afternoon? If you love shopping, you frequently wonder, Now what time do those stores close? If you love football, you know exactly how many days until the season begins. If you go to the website of your favorite team (I confess I go to mine every day), you are likely to find a clock counting down the days, hours, and minutes until the next season’s kickoff. I haven’t met anyone, myself included, who has that kind of counter showing how long until the next worship service.
If you want to experience a breath of fresh air, a real burst of life-giving breath, then examine your affections, your thoughts, and your activities to see where you’re directing them. Whatever excites you most in life—be it sports or traveling or spending time with family—should pale in comparison to how passionate you are about God.
Recently I was reading in my home office when my son Jonathan came in. He’s sixteen and tall—over six feet—and strong. I looked up and smiled and said, “Hey, buddy, what do you need?” He looked back at me and said, “Nothing. I just thought I’d hang out with you a little while. I was just thinking about you, Dad.”
Talk about making an old dad feel all mushy inside! How cool is that? My teenage son was thinking about me and just wanted to come and be with me with no real agenda. The message I received is that he loves me. He didn’t want anything from me at that time other than to be with me. The Lord revealed something to me during that time with Jonathan. God whispered to me, “Chris, this is worship. And I like it when you just want to be near me. When you just think about me throughout your day, regardless of where you are or what you’re doing.”
Whatever we worship, we think about most of the time. If you love golf, you’re often thinking, I wonder if I can fit in a little time at the driving range this afternoon? If you love shopping, you frequently wonder, Now what time do those stores close? If you love football, you know exactly how many days until the season begins. If you go to the website of your favorite team (I confess I go to mine every day), you are likely to find a clock counting down the days, hours, and minutes until the next season’s kickoff. I haven’t met anyone, myself included, who has that kind of counter showing how long until the next worship service.
If you want to experience a breath of fresh air, a real burst of life-giving breath, then examine your affections, your thoughts, and your activities to see where you’re directing them. Whatever excites you most in life—be it sports or traveling or spending time with family—should pale in comparison to how passionate you are about God.
Rugwaro
Zvinechekuita neHurongwa uhu
Fresh Air is about to sweep into your life. In this powerful two-week devotional, featuring a daily Scripture verse and note taken from Pastor Chris Hodges’ new book Fresh Air, you’ll be refreshed with insights on how you can revive your spirit and be fueled by God like never before. Take a breath of fresh air . . . and experience what it means to live an “I get to,” not an “I’ve got to,” kind of life every day.
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We’d like to thank Chris Hodges and Tyndale House Publishers for their generosity in providing content adapted from Fresh Air. To learn more about the book, please visit freshairbook.com.
