Day 13 - An Adoring Heart
Listen To The Podcast
An Adoring Heart - Brett Cole
Have you ever made it through a busy day just to realize that you didn’t spend any time with God? How about a weekend or even a whole week? If you’re like me, chances are you’ve done this more than a few times during the last year. One of the things I always think about is how incredibly easy it is for us to go through our day, week, or month and casually ignore our Creator.
But when I take a step back, it makes so much sense why we can push Him to the side on any given day. I find myself constantly bombarded with distractions, many of which I allow myself to be consumed by. Social media, news, television, YouTube, new gear and toys, sinful thoughts and behaviors, hobbies, money, career, heck – even other people! I’m constantly setting my heart to things not of heavenly importance.
During the week I tend to waste time worshiping a lot of junk that ultimately takes time away from the word, prayer, and time with God. I worship things like obsessing over new music gear and material items. I worship other people's view of me over knowing who God says I am.
I worship television/videos/news over time in the word. I worship my own false control over my life/career/finances when I should be looking to God and trusting in Him.
In our deepest created being, we were made to worship. But because of sin, more often than not, we find ourselves worshiping the wrong things, removing our focus from God and placing it on our earthly desires and distractions. This sin pattern and alternate worship can even go as far as to hinder and even prevent authentic worship to our Father on Sunday mornings (and beyond).
In Colossians 3:1-17, Paul is reminding us how as believers, we need to refocus and live according to the fact that we are made alive in Christ and need to put to death those things that belong to our earthly, sinful nature. I like to see this as ridding out the things in our lives that block us from worshiping and honoring our God fully. Though we’ve been justified through faith, we still need to be moving in a constant direction toward sanctification. By working through the strength of the Holy Spirit to rid out the areas in our lives that pull us away from His presence, we begin to move towards Him and see even more of His goodness and faithfulness.
Worship is at our core as believers, a remarkable time in which we can enter with heaven in showing all praise, glory, and honor to the One who created us and gave us new life. My hope for us over this new year is that we would be able to see our items of false worship more clearly so that we can begin to shift away from them and move towards deeper, authentic worship of our Heavenly Father.
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:1-17
Spiritual Practice
As you read through todays scripture, ask the Lord, “what is one thing I worship above you?”. Once you’ve identified that thing or person or area, think about ways in which you can address it over the next month, but don’t stop there. Continue seeking those areas in your life that prevent you from wholly worshiping God. Then, listen to the the song, Heart of Worship.
