Skill and excellence are gifts—but they can quietly become identity.
As technicians and creatives, it’s easy to become self-sufficient and confident in our own abilities. That’s probably a good thing to a certain extent. After all, God blessed us with a level of skill and expertise that allow us to perform and create at a high level. Nothing wrong with accomplishing something great, stepping, back, and being proud of our work.
But, it can inch towards dangerous territory the more our identity is tied to what we do or achieve. We can’t take healthy criticism of our work because it feels like a personal attack. We crave appreciation and compliments because it fuels our sense of importance. We angle for opportunities to be a part of high-profile project because of the attention and recognition that comes with it.
A warning sign appears when feedback feels like an attack.
When we start inching into that space, we are all in need of a reminder of who we are and why we’re even that certain position to begin with. This is one of the side benefits of having a regular posture of worship.
Not too long ago I read a commentary about the purpose behind asking God for repentance of our sins. It’s certainly not because God needed to be clued into our actions or thoughts. There’s nothing we could say or do that would surprise or disappoint him, since he knows everything we have or will done. And forgiveness of sins was already accomplished on the cross for anything in my past, present, or future.
The commentator posited that we should ask for forgiveness not for God’s benefit, but for our own: so we are constantly reminded of the fact that we are sinners in need of a Savior, a reality that should never be far from our minds. It’s a way of keeping us all humble and reminding ourselves that we are nothing without God’s grace.
In the same way, I think there’s an additional benefit for having that approach with worship.
Yes, God calls us to do it, and yes, when we exalt our Creator it creates an aroma that pleases Him.
But more than that, it puts God in the rightful place at the forefront of our lives. Above our hobbies, above our thoughts and feelings, and above our own sense of self. We worship Him because He’s at the top of the list, and we humble ourselves by placing our own desires below His.
The drift from service to self-focus happens slowly—and to all of us.
Working in ministry may seem like a perfect opportunity to always be spiritual. But just because I’m in the environment doesn't mean the environment is in me. Just because I’m part of helping create an atmosphere of worship doesn’t necessarily mean my heart and mind are automatically entering that posture too.
That’s why it’s so critical that we intentionally create space to step out of our work and into a place of worship. That’s why a Sabbath, not just to rest, but also to worship and grow spiritually, is so critical.
Without that intentionality, all I do becomes just another task or chore, and ministry now becomes something I strive to do not because of Who I do it for, but what it does for me.
The applause. The acclaim. The hearts and comments on Instagram when I post pics or reels of my latest masterpiece.
I’m on a platform with a golden opportunity to glorify my Maker, but instead, I focus just on elevating my own platform and notoriety.
The Bible repeatedly calls us to worship, and in John 4:23, Jesus himself refers to true worshippers as those who worship “in spirit and in truth.”
I worship so my spirit can connect with God’s and be refueled and refreshed by entering His presence with adoration and exultation. But I also worship in the truth of who He is, and the reality of who that makes me.
I need to constantly remind myself that I’m nothing without His grace and blessing, and the best thing I can do is to use my life as an offering of worship that continually thanks Him for that.
