A to Z Challenge

Happy April Fools’ Day!

The A to Z Blogging Challenge

As an April Fools’ joke, the Air Force is making me go back to work today.

As a non-April-Fools joke on myself, today is the start of the April A to Z blogging challenge!

I’m going to use this opportunity to talk about worship, and some key aspects for lead worshipers on an individual and corporate scale.

For the first entry, let’s talk about Attitude.

Paul writes:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5 NASB)

And take a look at what precedes Paul’s direction about attitude:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3, 4 NASB)

Worship, whether personal or corporate, is never for me nor about me. It has to be about others as I follow Christ’s sacrificial example.

We don’t sing to show off, or serve to get the praise of men. We can’t be about whatever blesses us, whatever satisfies us, unless we are blessed and fulfilled in meeting the needs of others.

Worship is about worth-ship. It’s an act that serves as a declaration of someone’s value. If that someone is us, then we’re not worshiping God or ministering to anyone. We’re making idols and worshiping Self.

That’s not worship. That’s pride.

“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NASB)

When we seek our own interests, we risk not just missing God’s best but attracting God’s direct resistance. We want to chase the storm of God’s presence, not invite destruction!

But when we seek the interests of others, we step into the grace zone, where God’s power supplies us with the ability to do more than we expect or imagine.

The songs we sing, the music we play, and most of all, the acts of service we perform – those are done for God and for others. That has to be our attitude, or else we better not call it worship.

Got attitude? That’s fine, as long as it’s the right kind.