Chapter One
THAT THING WE DO
You, my friend . are a worshiper!
There, I said it.
Every day, all day long, everywhere you go, you worship.
It's what you do. It's who you are.
So if by chance you have only a few seconds to check out
this book, that's what it's all about. We all are worshipers, created
to bring pleasure and glory to the God who made us.
I don't know whether or not you consider yourself a
"worshiping" kind of person, but you cannot help but worship-something.
It's what you were made to do.
Should you for some reason choose not to give God
what He desires, you'll still worship something-exchanging
the Creator for something He has created.
WHATEVER'S WORTH MOST
Think of it this way: Worship is simply about value. The simplest
definition I can give is this: Worship is our response to
what we value most.
That's why worship is that thing we all do. It's what we're
all about on any given day. Because worship is about saying,
"This person, this thing, this experience (this whatever) is
what matters most to me . it's the thing I put first in my life."
That "thing" might be a relationship. A dream. Friends.
Status. Stuff. A name. Some kind of pleasure. Whatever name
you put on it, this thing or person is what you've concluded
in your heart is worth most to you. And whatever is worth
most to you is-you guessed it-what you worship.
Worship tells us what we value most. As a result, worship
determines our actions, becoming the driving force for all we do.
And we're not just talking about the religious crowd.
Christians. The churchgoer among us. We're talking about everybody
on planet earth . a multitude of souls proclaiming with
every breath what is worthy of their affection, their attention, their
allegiance. Proclaiming with every step what it is they worship.
Some of us attend the church on the corner, professing
to worship the Living God above all. Others who rarely step
inside the church doors would say worship isn't a part of
their lives because they aren't "religious." But everybody has
an altar. And every altar has a throne.
So how do you know where and what you worship?
It's easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your
affection, your energy, your money, and your loyalty. At the
end of that trail you'll find a throne; and whatever, or
whomever, is on that throne is what's of highest value to you.
On that throne is what you worship.
Sure, not too many of us walk around saying, "I worship
my stuff. I worship my Xbox. I worship my job. I worship this
pleasure. I worship her. I worship my body. I worship me!"
But the trail never lies. We may say we value this thing
or that thing more than any other, but the volume of our
actions speaks louder than our words.
In the end, our worship is more about what we do than
what we say.
EVERYWHERE-WORSHIP
Worship is the activity of the human soul.
So not only do all people worship, but they worship all the
time. Worship isn't just a Sunday thing. It's an all-the-time thing.
Right now, all around you, people of all shapes and sizes,
people of every age and purpose are worshiping-continually
making decisions based on what they value most.
Worship happens everywhere . all day long.
In fact, some of the purest forms of worship are found
outside the walls of the church and have no reference to the
God of all creation. All you have to do is drop in on a concert
at the local arena or go to a sporting event at a nearby
stadium to see amazing worship. People are going for it, lifting
their hands, shouting like crazy, staking their claim,
standing in awe, declaring their allegiance. Interestingly, these
venues are filled with the same forms of worship mentioned
in the pages of God's Word-the same expressions of worship
that God desires and deserves.
A while back, watching an interview Oprah was doing
with Michael Jackson in the prime of his career, I was stunned
with the reality of this truth. What I witnessed as she showed
a video clip of people responding to him in concert settings
around the world absolutely floored me. Talk about amazing
worship!
In multiple cultures, mobs of people numbering into the
hundreds of thousands were glued as one to his every
move. On every continent they gathered like an army, waving
their hands in the air. Some fell to their knees. Others
strained with outstretched hands, hoping for a brief touch
from his. Seared in my mind is the image of one young girl
with a look on her face of total awe.
I couldn't believe it. What I was watching was some of
the most intense worship I'd ever seen . anywhere. Far more
"full-on" than much of what I'd experienced inside the church.
And for what? Granted, Michael Jackson is a living legend
when it comes to entertainment, but he's not a great
god. Not even close. Yet the worship was phenomenal,
demonstrating the God-given capacity for adoration that is
rooted in the soul of every man.
And you can see it when your favorite band plays, or
your favorite team. People naturally doing the thing it seems
we were all created to do.
CONNECTIVITY, PREWIRED
In the same way, we all (you and me) worship something all
the time. And you know what? We're really good at it.
If you think about it, history has known no shortage of
worship. The timeline of mankind is littered with trillions of
little idols. Every culture, every corner of earth, every age has
had its gods. Just circle the globe and watch for worship.
Study the great civilizations and explore their temples.
The compelling question for me is, "Why?" Why do we
crave something to worship? Why are we so insatiably
drawn from idol to idol, desperately in need of something to
champion, something to exalt, something to adore?
How do we know for sure that some things are more
important than others, more worthy of worship? How do
we even know that value, beauty, and worth exist?
I think it's because we were designed that way. We were
made for God.
The Bible says it this way: All things were made by Him;
and all things were made for Him.
You've been created by God. And if that wasn't enough,
you've also been created for Him. As a result, there's an internal
homing device riveted deep within your soul that
perpetually longs for your Maker. An internal, Godward magnet,
pulling your being toward Him.
Stamped in God's image, we know that there's something
we attach to, something we fit with, someone we
belong to, somewhere called home.
That's why we come from the womb equipped for connectivity
with God, prewired to praise. And that's why, from
the youngest age, we begin to worship.
We arrive in this world as objects of divine affection,
miraculous receptors designed to bring Him pleasure. If only
everyone could know we've been created by and for God! If
only we could all comprehend that we're precious to Him,
housing mirrored souls designed to reflect His glory.
THE QUESTION THAT
CAPTIVATES US ALL
As I'm writing, my flight home to Atlanta is climbing high above
the Chicago night. Staring out across the horizon, I'm captivated
by the thousands of tiny lights dotting the landscape as
far as I can see. Countless twinkling stars of earth, hundreds of
thousands of beacon lights. It's like a sea of little lights-streetlights,
headlights, house lights, neon lights . all kinds of lights.
And I'm thinking, everywhere I see lights, there are people.
People everywhere. A sea of humanity. And every single person
down there is someone created with amazing potential
and purpose. All uniquely fashioned to reflect back to their
Creator His beauty and wonder. Each one breathing the air of
earth in one accord. Each person given life to give Him praise.
And that's only the view in one direction, looking out over
just one city, in just one state, in one nation, on one continent.
I'm floored. As we jet through the darkened sky, I think
of how this earth is home to billions of worshipers, created
to light the darkness with stories of who God is . with
echoes of all He has done.
But do they know it? Do you know it? Do you know in
this moment that you were made by and for God?
While we soar over Chicago, our plane is just a little tiny
speck to anyone who might look up and see us, a little dot
of light blinking its way through the night. Yet on board this
flight are even more people. People everywhere.
Across the aisle from me, a middle-aged woman is digging
into a well-worn Bible. (No, I'm not making this up!)
She's leaning forward as she reads, as if she knows this Book
holds some secret key. I'm thinking how the same God who's
worthy of all the earth's worship is the Author of the very
pages in her hands. She's holding His autobiography in her
hands. There before her eyes is the extension of God's hand.
And she's devouring it in large chunks, miraculously forgoing
another showing of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It's as if somehow
within its pages she has discovered life's very meaning.
It seems we all are eventually captivated by the question
of why. Why are we here? Is there a reason for our lives? Is
there something we're uniquely destined to do?
It's the age-old dilemma-what's the purpose of life?
The answer begins and ends with God. Simply put, you
and I were made by Him and made for Him. You and I exist
for one purpose alone-to reflect back to God His matchless
glory. You were made for a unique relationship with Him.
And your life was designed to be a mirror that reflects all the
best things about Him to the world around you. Finding our
Maker and connecting with His purposes is the one thing we
are all seeking.
Okay, to be fair, things have changed on board. Forty
minutes have passed, and the woman across the aisle is now
reading a David Baldacci novel, sending occasional glances
toward the movie monitor.
Uh-oh. The headphones are going on. I think she's
being sucked into the movie.
Apparently, she's seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding a
dozen times and is having no difficulty jumping right into the
flow. It hasn't been thirty seconds and she's already laughing.
(Not as loudly as the guy in front of me, mind you, who with
headphones on is loudly giving a blow-by-blow commentary
of each scene to the stranger trapped beside him.)
I guess tonight won't see a miracle after all. The "little
movie engine that could" wins again. The unstoppable force
of Big Fat Greek Wedding rambles on. But she still gets major
credit for her deep dive into the pages of God's Word. For
she-just like the rest of us-is seeking God. And as far as I
can tell, finding Him on a plane to Georgia.
(The guy next to me is sound asleep. The lady in front
is talking in what sounds like a South African accent. The flight
attendant buzzing around is tall and Romanian. A businessman
behind me is wide awake and feverishly working.)
And there are people all around you, too. Today as you
work out, sit at the lunch table, or study in the library, there
are people everywhere.
All these people.
Do they know their lives have an amazing purpose?
Do you?
(Continues.)
