Losing Ourselves in Worship

As artists we have been given gifts and talents and as Christians, we offer them back to their creator to worship Him. Many of us use the arts to lead others in worship, in church services or at special events like conferences and retreats.
In all our efforts, we must be diligent to always put God and His purposes first.

It's so easy in this field to allow pride to surface, sometimes without our even noticing. We must never forget the source for any gifts we have received, nor that the use of them during worship must be for Him and only for Him. "Excellence" has become a rallying cry in many churches. And excellence should be our goal when serving the King of Kings. But excellence for its own sake, or to impress worshippers or other churches with what you can do diminishes the focus on God. I have experienced some beautiful worship by some singers or musicians who may not be able to rock me out of the house with the best solo, but who offered the song to Lord and caused me to know that He was in the House and was pleased to be seated in the place of honor.
The best way to make sure you'll remember to put God first while leading worship is to make sure you've put Him first in your heart. If you haven't spent any time with Him in prayer and in His word this week, if you've been so busy working or rehearsing that you haven't noticed or acted to help your neighbor in need, how practical is it to assume that you'll be able to lead others to Him this Sunday?

Worship isn't a performance. It's not even just a congregation getting together to for a service. It's a great celebration of knowing who God is and exultation at being in His presence. As leaders of worship, we should see ourselves as honored guests ushering others into an audience with the Most High. Remember the words of John the Baptist:
"A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:27-30 NIV)

People should leave worship services saying, "God is great," not "the band was great," or "that soloist was great." Leaders who continuously worship all week long will lose themselves in it-- and God will be all that people see.