Because when you're sitting in class thinking about how you dragged yourself out of bed, out the door and into school that morning after a 3-hour-or-less night's sleep on account of what felt like eternal homework and you feel like a wreck cause you've had a horrible day in general and all you want to do is just go to sleep and dream sweetly of marching band and Switchfoot and rainbows and subterranean parlors with comforting fire filling the hearth and radiating out towards the warm-colored upholstery that looks like it could have been salvaged from the Titanic den, yet you choose to make the effort to connect with your faith and move your behind into gear anyway... well, quite honestly, you might still feel pretty crummy, but you know that the choice you just made was a righteous one and it will be very rewarding in the end, so you become confident and take heart as you press forward and plough through the mucky circumstances which you face now and on towards the hopeful promise of a better tomorrow in utter faith. This perseverance and faith must be one of the most noble and beautiful forms of worship to ever take place. Worship is sacrifice: when you give your heart to God, and He gives His to you, you are sacrificing your personal needs and problems on the altar to come before Yahweh and receive from Him a spirit of unity and love that comes from faith in His character and His word - that is worship.
"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." (Psalm 69:9) For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing hymns to your name.” (2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49)
I will sing hymns to your name.” (2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49)
Again, it says,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." (Deut. 32:43)
And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and sing praises to him, all you peoples." (Psalm 117:1)
and sing praises to him, all you peoples." (Psalm 117:1)
And again, Isaiah says,
“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him." (Isaiah 11:10)
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him." (Isaiah 11:10)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
-Romans 15:1-13
I'm thinkin' bout how to live
Even though what I did
Was not the best response to what's always going on (and)
I'm working out how to walk
Cause all I ever do is talk (and)
Step by step I'm movin' still inside my heart I'm groovin' (and)
Soon I will be movin' on, movin' movin' on and on and on.
("Moving On," 10/12/11).
