Worship As Diligence

The Bible is really clear: as Christians, we are supposed to worship God with our whole life - whether that's at church, work, home, hanging out with friends at the park - it's all worship. Even the most mundane tasks in life can be dedicated to God as acts of worship. The way I spend my time should be an act of worship to God. Let's face it, it's worship to someone (or something) -- myself, my favorite sport, a video game, a reality show, etc.

By giving my time to something, I'm declaring that it has value.

So here's the kicker for me - and it's really not fair. I've found that in my own life, laziness produces laziness, and productivity produces productivity. On weeks that I'm busy, I have all this energy to get stuff done, I exercise. I find that when I finish a task, I don't just want to go sit and do nothing, but start something else. 

But when I have a slow week, I tend to watch more TV, lay on the couch more, and eat more candy. You'd think that in those times I would have more energy to do the small, less important things that are more nagging than stressful. But I don't. When I have more free time, I spend less time in a productive way.

There's a difference between Biblical Rest - the kind that we all desperately need and pleases God - and laziness. One is an act of faith, of dependence, of devotion. The other is an act of selfishness. One pleases God, one insults God. (Compare Leviticus 23:3 and Proverbs 6:6-11)

So how do you spend your time? Do you feel unmotivated? Get up and do something! It'll make you feel better, and it will produce in you more energy to do something else. Turn off the xbox. Get something done. And do it with a heart of worship.