Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.—Romans 12:1 (NIV)

In my mind’s eye, I still see her. A lawyer professionally dressed in a tailor-made suit, she opened the door of her office and paused. She waited for Jesus to enter, and then shut the door behind them. In her work she faced many temptations to compromise her Christian ethics. So she invited Jesus into her workplace—and remembered He was with her in every meeting, in every decision, and in every conversation.

She set a beautiful example for me as I also worked in a professional setting with similar challenges. Recently I thought of this lawyer when I read a passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans:  

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1 NIV)

It’s easy for me to think of worship as the time we spend singing during a church service. But in reality, worship means so much more. It’s a way of life. For much of my Christian walk, I believed this Scripture taught me to build righteous habits ~ to avoid sin and to strive for holiness. And while these are good practices to build, I no longer believe this is what Paul intended. 

I’ve come to understand that worship is our response to the worthiness of God ~ to His mercy. The Greek word translated here as mercy is oiktirmos. It can also be defined as compassion, favor, or grace. In essence, God’s mercy gives us everything we need, but don’t deserve and haven’t earned.  

We respond to His mercy by how we live. I love the example my friend set for me. She understood the principle of taking Jesus with her throughout her day. It is so easy for me to compartmentalize my day. In the mornings I study the Bible and pray. Throughout the day I try to live righteously, but my focus gets caught up with everyday tasks and responsibilities. And in the mix, I often forget to find the holiness in all that I do.

The Apostle Paul reminds us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV). Lately I’ve been trying to keep an ongoing dialogue with God in my thoughts as I go about my day. I’ve not perfected the practice. I still get sidetracked. Still, I’m impressed with how staying in prayer has softened my heart and kept me focused on God. It helps me be patient with shoppers who park their carts in the middle of the Walmart aisle. Or to consider how I can show Jesus to the customer service representative who helps me straighten out an order. I’m more conscious of being with Jesus, and less focused on what to do, or not to do. For someone who struggles with legalism, this has been incredibly freeing. 

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You that we can bring you with us, wherever we go. Our form of worship is simply responding with gratitude to all You have given us. May we stay in Your presence by remembering to pray continually. We ask this in Your name. Amen.