I was a hopeless Chicago Cubs fan for many years. The Chicago Cubs were known as the lovable losers. They had gone more than 100 years without winning the World Series. Last year, the unthinkable happened. We won!

I say “we” won. Although, I realize I did not win anything. It was Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, and other players on the team that won it. But I still say we won it. I still wear the championship sweatshirt. I want be be a part of it. I want to be connected to it. I have been a fan. I identified with the team. I had stuck with them through all the bad years in hopes that one day we would reach the promised land. And now we made it. I didn’t win the game on the field, but I am joining the celebration. There are many others like me who want to make a claim on the greatness of that team.

There is a similarity with worship. Worship connects us to something greater. Jesus won the ultimate victory when he defeated death through the cross and empty tomb. Worship is an invitation for us to join in the victory celebration. We did not win the victory, but we get to participate in it.

When we join in worship, we are joining with others. When we sing in our local church on Sunday morning, we may only hear ourselves singing. But in heaven our song is joined with the songs of other believers all over the world. We are not only joined with other believers from other places, but also believers from other times. Our chorus of praise is lifted to heaven together with the early church and the church of the future. We also join the heavenly host in eternal worship.

The church often sings the song “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The words of this song come from John’s vision of heaven’s throne in Revelation 4.

“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”” (Revelation 4:8, ESV)

It is a song that is joined by a multitude that cannot be counted (see Revelation 7:9-10). While we only may hear ourselves, God hears all of us joined together with heaven’s choir. We are joining the celebration of all celebrations. When we worship we are part of something more spectacular than we ever realize.

The Benefits of Worship

• Live Your Purpose
• Priorities Align
• Greater Faith for the Challenges of Life
• Joining Something Bigger than Yourself

Worship gives you confidence in God. That is faith. Your faith will carry you through the challenges in life.

I have been reading a book called Dr. Jordan Metzl's Workout Prescription to help my running. He is a sports medicine doctor. Dr. Metzl is famous for writing prescriptions for exercise. The idea is that exercise builds strength in your body to prevent injury. The best medicine is preventive medicine. This same principle applies to faith.

Challenges come in life. None of us are immune. The question is not if the challenges will come, but when the challenges will come. And how will we face those challenges? Will we face those challenges with a weak faith or a strong faith?

As a pastor, I am privy to many of the challenges so many people face. A person will tell you that everything is good, but if you dig deep enough, you will find not everything is good. There is something with which they struggle. It may be marital strife, work stress, anxiety, debt, financial crisis, depression, self-image, health issues, grief, or addiction. Those are just a few, but I imagine there is a good chance that you are struggling with something on that list. I am hard pressed to find a person who is not wrestling with some issue.

We all struggle through this journey called life, but what I see different is how people respond to the challenges along the journey. People approach the challenges from different perspectives. I know some who face dire circumstances. They are dealt a crushing blow. And while it is by no means easy, they face this crisis with a certain confidence and joy. They give praise to God for being with them as they walk through the valley.

I know others who may also face a challenge but is not the dire circumstance of the other person. It is not a crushing blow. But they are devastated. They are at a loss. They question God’s presence in their life and if God loves them. They don’t see any way out of their situation.

What is the difference between the two people? Why does one take a major loss and respond with confidence while the other takes a minor blow and is knocked out? The difference is strength of faith.

The middle of the crisis is not the time to build faith. That’s not the time to grow faith. That is the time to rely on faith.

It’s before the crisis comes that is the time to strengthen our faith. Our faith is strengthened through worship. Worship is spiritual exercise. Worship sets our eyes on God. You are building spiritual muscle when you recognize the incredible worth, beauty, strength, and majesty of God through worship.

When you have a heart of worship and the challenges come in your life, you will know that God is greater than the storm. You will know he will get you through. You will know he is the Savior. You will know he is God.

Unfortunately, many people don’t turn to God or look to God until the time of crisis. If they don’t know the greatness of God, they are not going to have much confidence in him. So how about you? How is your faith being strengthened through worship? How does a heart of worship give you confidence to endure the storms of life?

The Benefits of Worship

• Live Your Purpose
• Priorities Align
• Greater Faith for the Challenges of Life
• Joining Something Bigger than Yourself

When you keep the first things first, life is in alignment. When you give the first things you time, energy, and attention the rest falls into place.

We are often busy. But being busy does not always mean we are busy with the right things. We have probably all had those days were we were doing something all day, but at the end of the day we wondered what we got accomplished.

Try this little exercise. Write this:

It is faster to do one thing at a time.

Then write:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Now write the same thing, but switch back and forth between the two parts.

1 It, 2 is, 3 faster, 4 to, 5 do, 6 one, 7 thing, 8 at, 9 a, 10 time.

Which was faster? To write the sentence and then the numbers? Or to try and write them both at the same time?

The point of this little exercise is to show we are not good at multi-tasking. In fact, studies show that we don’t multi-task. We simply switch from one thing to the other very fast. We can switch so fast that there is a perception we are doing more than one thing at a time, but the truth of the matter is that we are only doing one thing at a time. That is the way God made us.

In our busy world we try to do it all. And we try to do it all at once. But we don’t do it all very well. What if we gave our time and attention to the one most important thing to be done each day and then did not do anything else until that one thing was accomplished?

Each morning I make a list of the most important things I have to do on a given day. Sometimes that list is 4 things. Sometimes that list is 20 things. After I make the to-do list, I force myself to choose one thing. It is the one thing that I must do if I did nothing else. Then I devote my time, energy, and attention to that one thing until it is completed.

If find that if I do that, my day is much more effective and productive than the days that I don’t. Somedays, I will come into the office and do my morning devotion. Then I will check email. After that I may do a little sermon preparation. But then I remember I have a phone call I need to make, so I pause working on the sermon to make the phone call. I find myself switching back and forth from one thing to the next and at the end of the day I have not finished anything.

Everything changes when I prioritize and plan. When the first things are put first, the priorities align and the rest will fall into place. More is accomplished in my day. I am amazed at how many things I can cross off my to-do list when I prioritize. I am more fulfilled, and I have more time to simply enjoy my day.

Worship is similar. Worship is establishing priorities in our lives. Worship is to say that God is first. And when the first things are first, our lives will be aligned. So many of our challenges are the result of our priorities being out of alignment. Instead of giving God the first of our time, energy, and attention – we give him what is left over. Instead of using his supernatural power, we rely upon our natural strength. Instead of asking God what he wants, we tell God what we want. Instead of serving God for his glory, we ask God to serve us for our glory. It’s all a matter of priority? What do you want the most? God’s glory or your glory?

How do you think prioritizing worship in your life, would change the rest of your life?

The Benefits of Worship

• Live Your Purpose
• Priorities Align
• Greater Faith for the Challenges of Life
• Joining Something Bigger than Yourself

You were created to praise. You were created to worship. This earth is not your destiny. You were created to live before God’s eternal throne. The time on this earth is a blink of the eye when compared to that eternity.

But for many of us, we are trying to hold on to this place. We set our ambitions and our focus on this world. We try to build our kingdom here rather than live for God’s kingdom and anticipate our coming into the fullness of that kingdom.

The vision we are given in Revelation is one where all the saints, angels, and heavenly host join in worship. This is the culmination of history (HIS-story). It is where all the faithful and all the hosts of heaven fulfill the purpose for which they were created – which is giving eternal praise to the Lord. When we worship, we are taking hold of our destiny. We are fulfilling the purpose for which we were created.

When something is used for a purpose other than it was created for, it does not serve well. A car is meant to drive on the road and not water. If you try to take a car on water, it will sink. A car does not float like a boat. The car will not thrive if it is not used according to its purpose.

On our family’s kitchen table is a bowl with fruit. The purpose of the fruit is to serve as food. We eat it as energy for our body. It is nice to display it on the table, but the ultimate purpose of the fruit is not to look pretty as a decoration. If the fruit does is not eaten it will begin to rot and stink. The fruit was created for more.

When you don’t live according to your purpose, you are going to sink and stink. Don’t sink and stink! You were created for greater things! Live to worship of that which is most worthy of your worship. Thrive by living your purpose!

The Benefits of Worship

• Live Your Purpose
• Priorities Align
• Greater Faith for the Challenges of Life
• Joining Something Bigger than Yourself