For an action to become a habit, statistics show that the practice must be done every day for at least 30 days.
It takes about 45 days take to break a habit if the habit doesn't deal with physical addiction.
Some people express a desire to get into the habit of daily Bible reading, and things start off well; they read every day for a short period.
Five days pass. Twenty days pass. Things are going well.
Then one day, an interruption comes into play and the Bible is not read.
That’s okay. Just pick it up again tomorrow, right?
Maybe.
Many will pick up right where they left off. Some may say they will get to it again later on.
The thing is, later never comes.
What about attending worship? Some people attend worship for years. Then, for some unknown reason they stop. The reason many give? “I got out of the habit.”
For many, “getting out of the habit” of attending worship or being involved in church life can happen as quickly as missing two consecutive Sundays.
So, if it can happen that quickly, is attending worship truly a habit? Not according to the statistics of starting and stopping habits. Those take much longer.
So what is attending worship? A habit? A practice? Or something deeper?
Attending worship is a way of life lived in gratitude for what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. Worship is a time to focus on God, Jesus Christ and God’s Holy Spirit. It is a time to give your whole self to God and focus only on God.
Please do not attend worship with the mindset of wanting to get something out of it.
Don’t look for that “special feeling,” which may only be fleeting or fickle.
Attend worship as a way of life, with the heart-set of what you can put into it to glorify God. Attention must be on God, giving yourself completely to him, worshiping him and loving him.
Don’t glorify the preacher, the worship leader, the musicians or the technicians.
Glorify God.
Don’t make yourself the object of your worship, believing you should get something out of it.
Worship is not about you. It is about God and what God gets out of it.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Attend worship services as a way of life