People attending church may spend about an hour and a half a week attending services. Roughly a half an hour may be reserved for praise and worship in a standard American church service. The pastor, priest, or preacher may speak for as little as a 20 to 30 minutes conveying a message to the listeners and that is it for many that have 168 hours in a week.
http://www.centralpc.org/sermons/2003/s030427.htm
Avid followers or casual observers may walk out the doors of the sanctuary and think little of what transpired in their place of worship until they convene once again the following Sunday. Many have heard the adage of "attending the church on Sunday and living like the devil the rest of the week”.
The term “in all things praise the Lord” has little meaning to many that attend services on Sunday or their preferred day of worship. This detachment shown once outside the sanctuary building is a prime reason people’s faith may take a beating during the week and their relationship with God eventually suffers.
How we think, what we do, our attitudes and our priorities of life reflect how well we worship God outside our religious assemblies. It is one thing to worship God in church, but what about in what entertainment one decides to participate? Or opting to give somebody a piece of your mind when they annoy you? Retaliating verbally or physically may give one self-gratification for a moment, however it is a poor testimony to those watching your actions. You can be assured God isn’t impressed either.http://www.westchesterpresbyterian.com/sermon120819.htm
Displaying Christ like behavior towards those that don’t deserve it is a barometer of how advanced your spiritual walk is. Not only to those that may offend you, but displaying the attribute of compassion towards those that may have less than you can apply action to your faith. The Bible verse of “faith without works is dead” is a warning to those to not only just pray about it, but do something about it.
Everything you say and do should point to the One that has given us the gift of eternal life. Walking in personal integrity, fulfilling the law by action, and most importantly showing love one to another is a sign Christ said demonstrates that you are His disciple. There is no better worship that to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.
There are instructions concerning what one should do with their finances, however what we do with our time can also be a demonstration of worship. As mentioned there are 168 hours in a week and merely going to church one and a half hours doesn’t cut it. There are those convinced that going only to one service a week should make God happy, but it is woefully short of time that could be invested in being a volunteer for the community, ministry or visiting the afflicted.
http://www.crossconnection.net/2012/07/168-hours-2/
One needs to distinguish Christianity from religion. In James 1:27, the Bible gives the answer to the only religion God accepts, and that is “to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”. Other rules and regulations manufactured in the name of God my man are useless.
A sad testimony to greed and accumulation of possessions is the world standard of “he who dies with the most toys wins”. That doesn’t play well in the economy of God. The sin of emulation has destroyed many an individual that creates burning desire to out-perform all in owning possessions.
The same is true with those that have to have the last word. That is more of an interest to establish superiority than harmony. Giving in does not mean you are wrong, it means you have the wisdom to understand it is better to graciously submit than attempt to prove to be right all the time.
We are instructed to submit to one another, even in marriage. It doesn’t mean anyone has to be right or wrong, it means we are to give up our position or opinion in the interest of peace and reconciliation.
When you submit, there is hardly a better way to worship God than that.
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