Today, we begin a new message series called “Four Priorities for Life.” Life in the 21st century is busy, we all have to keep a lot of plates spinning. Most of us are responsible for ourselves, our families, our homes, our work and our church. Each of those responsibilities has many components that take our time and energy each and every day. Not only are we busy in the 21st century, but we have an unprecedented number of distractions in life that can keep us from fulfilling our responsibilities.
Never before in the history of mankind have we had the ability to connect with basically unlimited information and entertainment at the click of a button, whether on the internet, via direct access television or on our smart phones. It is estimated that by 2017, 70% of the world’s population, 5 billion people, will have a mobile phone. That represents unprecedented communication opportunity and unprecedented distraction possibility. With so many distractions, many people are living unfocused lives, unsure of what they should be prioritizing in life. God’s Word has a great deal to say about what our priorities in life ought to be, in order to be successful in God’s eyes.
Psalm 90:12 (NIV) Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
None of us has an unlimited amount of time to accomplish the things that God wants us to accomplish in life. We have a limited number of days in this life. God wants us to understand our limited lifespans and prioritize our lives with godly wisdom so that we can complete the tasks that God has for us. Life is not about pleasing ourselves, it is about pleasing our Creator and doing the things that He created us to do. When we do that, we will not only enjoy this life, but we will be preparing for an incredible eternity.
In this message series, we’re going to be talking about Four Priorities for Life. Each of these priorities are things that God wants us to love and pursue with all of our hearts. In this series, we will be talking first of all about Loving God. For the believer, God is to be our number one priority in life. The confession of every believer that Jesus is Lord acknowledges that He is first place in every aspect of our lives.
I’ve entitled today’s message “Loving God through Worship.” Love is not just an emotion, love is a choice to please and obey God in every way.
Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
God’s Word commands us to love God with all that we are and have. One of the most important ways that we express our love for God is through worship. Worship is an expression of reverence, of bowing before God, of honoring Him. Worship is not just something we do when we sing worship songs on Sundays. Worship is to be a part of our daily lives, expressing our love for God.
Today, we’re going to learn more about what worship is and ways that we can express our love for God through worship. We’re going to be looking at Psalm 116.
Listen to the audio message “Loving God through Worship” and download notes and study questions.