WEEK ONE: I’VE GOT A REASON TO PRAISE

In the world of sports and games, there are many phrases used to explain when someone has given everything they have. You may have heard things like, “he left it all on the field” or “she gave it 110% today.” Basically, these sayings are suggesting that the athlete held nothing back to win. There is a phrase used in the game of poker that I believe best describes this idea. That phrase is, “I’m going all in!” When a poker player says this, they are believing that the hand they are holding cannot be beaten by anyone else in the game. They are willing to take everything they have left and bet that this will ultimately help them put the other players out and win the game. At this point they have nothing to fall back on, nothing in reserve to play another hand. They are completely sold out to that moment.

So, what if we began to look at our worship toward God in that same way? What if we truly went “all in” with our worship? The problem is this: what our attention is given to will become what we worship.

There are many things vying for our attention. Studies show that the average attention span for an adult (ages 19 – 59) is up to one hour. However, researchers believe that number shows a decrease of up to 25% between 2000 to 2015. Add on another nine years to get us to today and that number probably continues to go down. With all of that going on, it is easy to see how we could get distracted when it comes to worship.

So what do we do? How can we fight the distractions and truly worship God? Start by understanding and acknowledging that there is a battle for your worship. Then develop a lifestyle of worship. This doesn’t just mean that worship becomes something that you do. It means that a worshipper is who you are.

Also, understand that worship is costly. True worship will always cost you yourself, your ego, your pride, your self-confidence, and your self-dependency. It involves sacrifice because worship is honoring God in every moment of our lives and offering everything that you have—your time, your treasure and your talent—to God. But it’s not about what you bring; it is about the heart with which you bring it.

So be unashamed in your worship. It may seem awkward. It may seem unnatural and it may seem that others don’t understand, but worship isn’t about impressing others or maintaining your pride. Sometimes it may cost you your time, your pride, or even your reputation, but the King of Kings is worth it and worthy of it.