Worshipping the Lord Daily —
Your Duty or Your Joy?
As a young Christian, I was taught the importance of spending personal worship time alone with God every day. I was encouraged to speak to His father's heart, honestly sharing my hopes and dreams, my needs and concerns. Just as importantly, I was to listen for His reply as I meditated on and memorized His words to me in Scripture. My service for Him is always to be the overflow of my walk with Him.
In the beginning, it seemed like another of the duties of the Christian life. If I only had time to give the Lord a few minutes in the morning (or missed several days altogether), well, I was busy serving Him and fulfilling my spiritual duties in other ways.
The fact is that I didn't always want to spend time with God in the morning. Still, I wanted to want to.
I wanted to have the kind of spiritual hunger for God's presence that wouldn't be satisfied with a hurried morning snack. So I continued to pray, "Lord, create within me an appetite for spending time in your presence."
Eventually, I found that my emotions followed my obedience. In Desiring God, John Piper speaks beautifully to the question of our motivation for spending time with God:
The real duty of worship is not the outward duty to say or do the liturgy. It is the inward duty, the command — "Delight yourself in the Lord!" (Psalm 37:4).... The reason this is the real duty of worship is that this honors God, while the empty performance of ritual does not. If I take my wife out for the evening on our anniversary and she asks me, "Why do you do this?" the answer that honors her most is, "Because nothing makes me happier tonight than to be with you."
"It's my duty," is a dishonor to her. "It's my joy," is an honor.
How shall we honor God in worship? By saying, "It's my duty"? Or by saying, "It's my joy"?
Worship is a way of reflecting back to God the radiance of his worth.… The mirror that catches the rays of his radiance and reflects them back in worship is the joyful heart. Another way of saying this is to say "the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever."
As a result of becoming consistent in the time spent with the Lord each morning, you will begin experiencing His presence throughout the day in a fresh and vital way. This is the kind of daily walk that enables us to experience the promises we have in Scripture. Even though I am giving certain of these promises a financial application below — using an outline inspired by material in Bill Bright's book God: Discover His Character — God's promises are obviously applicable across the broad spectrum of life's challenges. Promises such as:
• When we are confused, God will guide us. We can rely on Him to help us make the right financial plans and investment decisions. He promises, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you" (Psalm 32:8).
• When we are afraid, God will protect us. The loss of a job, an inadequate retirement nest egg, or turbulent investment markets can cause us to fear for the future. But we can take heart from His invitation: "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). As we trust in Him, He will protect us and give us a confidence that overcomes our fears.
• When we are discouraged, God will encourage us. It's not easy staying on a strict budget when there are so many things we'd like to provide for our families or enjoy for ourselves. And it takes resolve to stick with a long-term investment plan that doesn't seem to be getting the job done. When we're struggling with disappointments, God tells us "Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). "I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).
• When we are hurting, God will comfort us. Although God is ever with us, He reveals His presence in special ways when we really need it. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles..." (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).
In practical, everyday terms, how does God fulfill these promises? Sometimes by changing the circumstances, but more often by changing our perspective. He wants to guide, protect, encourage, and comfort us — through His Word, through prayer, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit as we spend times of intimacy with Him. Our Father is waiting to open the eyes of our hearts so we may see — and delight in — His love and faithfulness.
May we joyfully seek Him out! 
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Austin Pryor has three decades of experience advising investors, and is the founder of the Sound Mind Investing newsletter and website. Austin lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with Susie, his wife of 44 years. Two of his sons, Andrew and Matthew, work with him at Sound Mind Investing. A third son, Tre, is a Realtor® in the area. |
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