My Daily Pause

As we prepare for worship today, let us really prepare.

Before Worship

As you are getting ready, be deliberate about the setting yourself up to be in a positive mood.

• Stretch or exercise lightly
• Eat something
• Dress well
• Sing some hymns – just the parts you know by heart

These are all things that set you up to have a great day, every day. They also show your intention of worshiping God rather than that you just barely made it.

During Worship

When you get to worship, make sure you are fully involved. Put away the world for a couple of hours. A complete worship should look something like:

• Bible class – listen, participate, ask questions. The teacher spent a lot of time preparing for you.
• Singing – bring your heart to this part of the worship, it is your instrument (Ephesians 5:19)
• Praying – listen to every word as they are offered up to God. Prayer is powerful (James 5:16)
• Communion – contemplate the love of God shown through the gift of his Son. (John 3:16)
• Giving – You should have already planned the portion of you earnings you will return to the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:2)
• Sermon – Again, someone spent a lot of time preparing. Takes notes. Write good points in the margin of your Bible. Try to understand.

Part of worshiping in spirit and in truth is actually being there in your whole heart, mind and body. (John 4:24) Start today looking for ways to improve that.