In chapter 12 of his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “I encourage you, friends, by God’s mercy, to give your bodies as a living sacrifice, which is holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual worship.” Most people are likely to find that a fairly strange take on the definition of “worship”: how many songs does it involve, and what type of music? As it turns out, worship is much more than a set of praise songs.
One definition of “worship” is “the condition of being worthy; honour, distinction”. So worship is the manner in which we express to God our feelings about how worthy of honour he is. Singing and music can be a part of this, but they are far less essential than a reverent heart and a mind committed to God’s purposes. As Paul said, the best way of worshipping God is by giving your body as a living sacrifice, so that everything you do is an act of worship to God.
Imagine how different the world would be if a group of Christians started taking the idea of becoming a living sacrifice seriously, and asking in each situation throughout every day, “What can I do in this moment to express to God how worthy of honour he is?” Those Christians would cease being Christian atheists and start to live lives which are manifestly different from those lived by everyone else.