A Lifestyle of Worship

July 21, 2026

A compilation

You were planned for God’s pleasure. The moment you were born into the world, God was there as an unseen witness, smiling at your birth. He wanted you alive, and your arrival gave him great pleasure. God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight.

Bringing enjoyment to God, living for his pleasure, is the first purpose of your life. When you fully understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant. It proves your worth. If you are that important to God, and he considers you valuable enough to keep with him for eternity, what greater significance could you have? …

Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life. The Bible tells us to “worship him continually.” Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God. The Bible says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Martin Luther said, “A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God.”

How is it possible to do everything to the glory of God? By doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and by carrying on a continual conversation with him while you do it! The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

This is the secret to a lifestyle of worship—doing everything as if I was doing it for Jesus. Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence.—Rick Warren¹

Grateful love

One lesson I am constantly being taught by our grandchildren is how grateful they are for love. Just a little bit of love makes their heart thankful. Recently one of the littlest ones, Wilson, was unable to verbally express his gratitude for a wheelbarrow ride in our yard—around trees, leaves and dead limbs, which somewhat simulated a tame train ride. Yet, his giggles and patting fists asked for more with a sparkle of grateful glee in his eyes. My heart raced with joy to keep going, while my legs found another level of loving strength facilitated by his sweet face of thankfulness. A child’s grateful love is such a helpful reminder of how I can always thank Jesus for His love.

Jesus, on His way to heal a dying 12-year-old girl, encountered a woman who had a chronic health condition that had plagued her for 12 years (Luke 8:41–48). One young and without a touch from Jesus would surely die—one older and without a touch from Jesus was ready to die. Though on His way to the young one, the Lord was not too busy to heal one who had depleted all her resources on doctors and medicine. Now lost, fearful and embarrassed, she needed the Great Physician’s hope, emotional comfort, pure love, forgiveness of sin and physical healing. Her shame made her feel hidden and alone, but love drew her out to touch the garment of God. She may have never felt a father’s love, so Jesus tenderly called her daughter, affirming her trust with healing and blessing! “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me” (Psalm 66:20)!

Has Christ’s love enraptured your heart with grateful praise to God? The Lord’s love lingers where other suitors of your soul have moved on to another. Heavenly love is the only remedy for a soul exhausted from earthly ordeals. Fatigue whimpers away when the Holy Spirit romances your spirit with gentle comfort and unceasing love. The love of God grows a grateful heart. Be alert so you can see the Lord’s love in a child’s face and in a friend’s grace-laced words. Thankfulness erupts from your spirit when you experience being a beloved child of the King! ...

You may feel alone, swamped by the undertow of life’s troubles with little emotional support. But remember, you are loved by the Lord and never alone. Be grateful for His unfailing love for you!—Boyd Bailey²

Even when the fig trees don’t blossom

I’d venture a guess that the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk isn’t very well known nowadays, but he sure knew what it meant to trust in God no matter how badly things were going:

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (Habakkuk 3:17–18).

I was curious about what might have been going on in Habakkuk’s life and times to inspire him to pen such a beautiful statement of faith, so I read the entire book. It’s a short book, only three chapters long, and it turns out this passage comes at the very end, as a conclusion to Habakkuk’s dialogue with God. The book offers very little detail about Habakkuk’s personal life, but it’s evident that he lived at a difficult time in the history of God’s people, and he starts off by openly questioning God’s wisdom.

Habakkuk tells God that he sees nothing around him but injustice and violence and destruction by invading armies, and he asks the same question that people often pose—usually, with much less justification than he had: Why does God not make things right, and why does He allow evil to seemingly triumph? God’s patient replies eventually bring Habakkuk back to a position of trust in God and His promises that enables him to put everything in his loving Father’s hands.

This timeless lesson is one that we can all learn from. We can choose to rejoice in God and in our salvation even in the midst of life’s most trying experiences, “because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). We can trust in His timeless promises to bring us through each and every one of life’s storms.—Ronan Keane

Grateful praise

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness.—Psalm 138:2

Our lives can get overwhelming, daunting, and challenging. We can quickly get discouraged, frustrated, and burned out by circumstances or relationships beyond our control. In those seasons where we feel hopeless and helpless, the best thing we can do is turn away from the challenges and toward the love of God. Saying a thanksgiving prayer helps to make a change in our heart and mind. When we remember that God is in control and our lives are not our own, we remember we have a Savior who gives us strength when we are weak and comforts us in all our times of need.

When we pause to count our blessings, there’s no better way to express our gratitude than through a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving. These prayers do more than just list the good things in our lives; they connect us deeply with God, allowing us to reflect on His abundant generosity. We love and serve a good, gracious Father, and we are undeserving of the love, grace, and mercy he so freely lavishes on us. What else could we do but give him endless thanks and praise in return? ...

Dear God,thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives, thank you for your goodness and for your blessings over us. Thank you that you are able to bring hope through even the toughest of times, strengthening us for your purposes. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you that you are always with us and will never leave us.

Thank you for your incredible sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Forgive us for when we don’t thank you enough, for who you are, for all that you do, for all that you’ve given. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for you alone are worthy! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Rachel Dawson³

Published on Anchor July 2026. Read by Jon Marc. Music by John Listen.

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