Worship is the Antidote for Worry

In 2 Corinthians 5:14 I read, “[Christ’s] love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused center.” (The Message)

God made me for five purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. But I can’t fulfill those purposes on my own. Life is not a solo act. I was created to be in community.

The only way I can fulfill God’s five purposes in my life is with people giving me spiritual input. I need a church family! Why? Because the church helps me center my life around God.

God didn’t put me on Earth to live a self-centered life. He wants to be at the core of my life. He made me to love me, and he wants me to love him back. In a sense, God says, “I want to be the hub of your heart. I want to be the focus of your attention. I want to be the center of your life. I want to be the axis of your existence.”

The Bible says, “[Christ’s] love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused center” (2 Corinthians 5:14 The Message).

How can I tell that Christ is at the center of your life? I stop worrying. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (The Message).

There’s a word for this: worship. When I focus my life on God, I worship. And worship is the antidote for worry. If I want to worry less, worship more.

When am I supposed to worship? The Bible says, “You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week is holy because it belongs to me. No matter where you live, you must rest on the Sabbath and come together for worship” (Leviticus 23:3 CEV). Once a week, God wants me to come together with other believers to refocus, re-calibrate, and recenter my life on him.

Where am I supposed to do it? Acts 2:46 says, “They worshiped together regularly at the Temple” (TLB).

God meant for me to be part of a church family? A church family helps me focus and center my life around God so that I can fulfill his purpose for me.

In summary, Christ’s love has the first and last word in everything I do. My decision is to work from this focused center. God made me for five purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. But I can’t fulfill those purposes on my own. I was created to be in community with others. I need others to give me spiritual input. The church helps me center my life around God. God didn’t put me on Earth to live a self-centered life. He wants to be at the core of my life. God says, “I want to be the hub of your heart, the focus of my attention, and the center of my life. How can I tell that Christ is at the center of my life? I stop worrying. There’s a word for this: worship. When I focus my life on God, I worship. And worship is the antidote for worry. When am I supposed to worship? Once a week, God wants me to come together with other believers to refocus, re-calibrate, and recenter my life on him. Where am I to worship,  at the church. God meant for me to be part of a church family? A church family helps me focus and center my life around God so that I can fulfill his purpose for me.

Everything that Paul and his companions did was to honor God. Not only did fear of God motivate them, but Christ's love controlled their actions. The word for "controls'' means "to hold fast." In other words, the love of Christ was constraining them to certain courses of action. They knew that Jesus, out of his great love, had given up his life for their sake. He had not acted out of his own self-interest, selfishly holding on to the glory of heaven that he already possessed. Instead, Jesus had willingly "died for everyone." Because Christ died for me, I’m also dead to my old life. Like Paul, I should no longer live to please myself; I should spend my life pleasing Christ.