I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works (Psalm 9:1 NKJV).

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas approaching, it’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of the season and forget about God. Ironic, isn’t it? The whole reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Jesus and all He has done for us. Yet, we tend to make it about everything but Him.

If that sounds like you, I challenge you to make this year different. Instead of rushing through the season for the sake of getting things done, try approaching it with a worshipful heart. How? Here are three steps you can take.

 

1. Read

There are many examples of people who had a worshipful heart in the Bible. Each one praised God with his or her whole heart. And their actions were prompted by their worshipful hearts.

• Mary washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped His feet with her hair, kissed His feet, and anointed His feet with oil (Luke 7:37–38, 44–47).
• David danced before the Lord with all His might – leaping and whirling before Him (2 Samuel 6:14, 16).
• Mary sat at Jesus’ feet hearing His word (Luke 10:39).
• The widow gave out of her poverty all that she had into the temple’s treasury (Mark 12:41–44).

Read through these passages of Scripture and search for others. Learn what a worshipful heart looks like.

 

2. Pray

Ask God to search your heart and show you where you’re at (Psalm 139:23). It’s easy to go through your day, thinking you’re okay. But the Bible tells us that the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV).

When you ask, God will reveal what’s in your heart. For example, the Holy Spirit might remind you of how you’ve been complaining to your coworkers or your friends instead of remembering how good God has been to you. (The struggle is real.)

 

3. Act

If God shows you something that’s getting in the way of praising Him with your whole heart, repent. Thank God for His forgiveness. Then purposefully focus on the good things He’s done.

• Meditate on the reason we celebrate Christmas: Jesus was born so He could live a perfect life and pay the price for all our sins. He did that for you. And now Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for you (Romans 8:34).
• Remember how God saved you. Write out your testimony. How did God work in your life to bring you into a relationship with Him?
• Recall the amazing things God has done in and through your life. How has He changed you since you came to Him? How has He provided for you? What opportunities has He given you to share His love with others?

 

Let’s be mindful this Christmas season to keep our hearts in a state of worship. Fix your mind on our beautiful Lord and Savior. As you read about examples in the Bible of those with worshipful hearts, pray, and act on what God shows you, gratitude will well up in your heart. Then you’ll be able to praise Him with your whole heart and tell others about the marvelous things He has done as you walk by faith with Him.

 

 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash