Living the Christian Life – Chapter 7: Worshiping God

Weekly church attendance gives you a designated time to worship God. This is fulfilling the greatest commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The issues of life can become quite demanding of our time and energy. It’s easy to neglect our time with God throughout the week. By entering the doors of a church, you are setting aside a segment of your time with no other purpose but to give praise and worship to God.

A significant part of most church services is spent in praise and worship. In fact, one of the deciding factors for many people in choosing a church fellowship is whether they relate to the form of worship. But remember, worship is for God, not for people, so don’t get too distracted if you don’t like every song.

Learning God’s Word

The local church and small Bible studies are some of the best places to learn about the Bible. King David makes some powerful declarations concerning the revelation of God’s Word in Psalm 119 (NASB):

“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (v. 89).
“Oh how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day” (v. 97).
“I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts” (v. 100).
“From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way” (v. 104).

Then David makes this poetic statement regarding the Word of God:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (v. 105).

For the child of God, the Bible is a lamp to guide where our feet fall each day, and it is also a beacon or flood light to guide us toward wisdom in the decisions we must make for the future. In other words, the Bible is essential for victorious Christian living.

While it’s important to read and study the Bible every day (see chapters 5 and 10), it’s also good to learn the principles of Scripture from others. Every time we attend church, or a Bible study, or another kind of fellowship group, we have the opportunity to learn from God’s Word. We grow by sitting under the teaching of a mature man or woman of God in a church or Bible study.

Building Relationships with Other Believers

One of the best ways to become wise in life is to surround yourself with wise people. Many have said, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your character.” Close friends can either lift us up in our faith, or tear us down. By committing yourself to faithful participation in a church, a youth group, a men’s or women’s fellowship, a Christian business association, or some other type of Bible study, you are making a conscientious decision to surround yourself with godly people.

The writer of Hebrews points out the wisdom of this choice, declaring, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24 NLT).

Through faithful attendance at church or a Bible study, we can build strong friendships with other godly people where we “motivate one another to acts of love.” You want to cultivate these kinds of friendships in order to become more like Jesus!

The experiences in our Christian life can be described like a ladder. There are those who have walked with Christ for a longer time who may be several rungs up the ladder above you. As a result, they have experienced several things in life and have gained wisdom from which you can learn and grow.

Scripture points out that it is prudent to seek this wisdom:

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude
of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14 NKJV).

“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long
life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12 NIV).

“The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes
understanding will soon prosper” (Proverbs 19:8 NIV).

By surrounding ourselves with mature believers, we can also gain from their wisdom.