The rhythm of the elliptical is like a cadence keeping time with my prayers. I pray while I exercise. Today I’m praying for single-minded focus to help me live for God in a world so full of distractions.
I stare at a beautiful landscape background on my computer while a worship mix stirs my soul.
I’m listening to Israel Houghton’s moving rendition of “To Worship You I Live” when a question startles me from my daze.
How to Live for God
I think of Paul’s words: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NIV).
The song prompts me to consider what I live for most days.
I live to keep a routine, to get the oldest on the bus at exactly 8:29 every morning, to pack lunches, cook meals, meet with younger women, take stroller walks, buy groceries, fold laundry, wipe windows, and write articles. Some days it feels like I am merely living to keep up with the work of it all.
Am I mindful of Christ in the process of living?
If I live to worship him, then to live is to encounter him in everything. If I don’t worship him first, are all my righteous deeds as filthy rags?
“And all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf” (Isaiah 64:6).
Is it all for nothing if I’m not including Christ in the process?
I think through it as I keep stepping, keep the rhythm going, and keep up with the beat of the music.
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him,” Paul said (Philippians 3:8-9). Can I say it with him and really mean it?
Live for God by Making It a Priority to Know Him More Deeply
I think through my accomplishments in life, the things I’d put on a resume.
Do I really count them all garbage compared to knowing Christ more deeply?
What am I living for in the quiet moments of my life?
Am I living to make myself appear better, or am I simply surviving? Am I living with the purpose to know Christ more deeply with each passing day?
I consider what it will look like to walk through the rest of my day with my eyes focused on Christ. It will mean I enjoy my son immensely as we do life together today. I will expect him to act like a two-year-old, and I won’t blow up when his behavior doesn’t fit my plans for my day.
I’ll thank God for the food I get to cook. I will praise him and listen to his voice as I lead young women’s Bible study. I’ll stop to talk to the lonely neighbor on our stroller walk today. I will let Caleb linger long at the frog pond with sticks and rocks.
Friend, you are reading this post because you want to live for God as well. Here are a few practical ways to live for him as you worship him amid your everyday life:
1. Live for God by practicing gratitude.
Give thanks for the many small blessings around you and keep track. Make a list. Thank the One who makes all things new. Gratitude naturally lifts a heart to a worshipful place of praise.
2. Live on two levels.
Research indicates that the human brain is designed to process multiple tasks at one time. In any single moment, you might be listening to a friend, considering how you might respond to her in love, and praying for God’s wisdom. I like to call this living life on two levels.
On one level, you are connecting with those around you, and on a deeper level, you are listening for the whispers of the Holy Spirit to offer insight and wisdom. Living on two levels enables you to worship while you do all things, even while you walk through the struggles and valleys of your days.
3. Live for God by taking control of your thoughts.
We all have the potential to perseverate over the negative, hold onto bitterness, and foster unforgiveness.
Make a conscious effort to become aware of what you are allowing yourself to think about. Feel your feelings, and share them with God, but then ask him to shine his truth onto the thoughts that are destructive and not life-giving. Take these thoughts captive and replace them with thoughts that align with God’s Word.
I wish every day of my life were filled with victory. I wish I could always say I live for God in every moment. But I’m learning what it means. One day at a time, I’m walking forward. May these words stir the same desire in your heart. May you live to worship him.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
