A Distinction between Worship & Life
March 16, 2025•202 words
WORSHIP AS A PATTERN FOR LIFE
God put man in the Garden of Eden to live before Him in this creation and to enjoy life in His presence. This was broken by sin and is restored in Christ. But the important thing is to understand that all of life is before God and in service to God. Yet there is a very important distinction between worshipping and living before God. We use the word worship to describe that activity by which we meet with God to praise Him and be fed by His Word. We also understand that for the rest of our life we are to live before God and to meet His purpose for us; we call this service.
These two aspects of life are very closely related and yet very distinct from each other. It is important that we do not confuse them. The principle for this pattern of life is established in the creation and spelled out in the fourth commandment with the direction to work and rest. Work is serving God in His creation; rest is meeting with Him face to face for the sustenance of life itself.
—Maynard Koerner, 'Pastoral Ministry from a Covenantal Perspective', 50.