UECF.NET study companion — original commentary, not the book's own text.
Tozer resists the idea that deep worship belongs only to mystics, monks, or unusually devout believers. He insists that worship is meant to be the normal condition of every ordinary Christian — not an advanced elective for the spiritually gifted, but the baseline Christian life described in Romans 12:1: presenting our whole selves as a living sacrifice, which Paul calls our “reasonable service.”
A worshiping heart, in Tozer's vision, is not a rare achievement but the plain evidence that the gospel has actually taken root in someone. Psalm 100 makes the same point from the other direction — it calls all the earth, not a select spiritual elite, to come before the LORD with singing.
Key points
- Worship is not a specialty for the “spiritually elite”; it is basic Christian normalcy (Romans 12:1).
- A non-worshiping Christian life is, in Tozer's terms, a contradiction, not simply an immature stage.
- Ordinary obedience offered to God — our bodies, our daily choices — is itself an act of worship.
- Worship as “reasonable service” reframes the whole Christian life as an offering, not only the songs sung on Sunday.
Scripture (read on NKJV)
- Romans 12:1 — "Present your bodies a living sacrifice... your reasonable service."
- Psalm 100:1–5 — "Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!"
Reflect
- Do you think of worship as a special pursuit for a few, or as the normal Christian condition Tozer describes?
- What would it mean this week to present your body — your actual daily choices — as a “living sacrifice”?
- Psalm 100 calls all the earth to worship, not a select group. How does that shape how you see your own ordinary life?
Prayer
Father, thank You that worship is not reserved for the few. Take our ordinary days — our work, our rest, our relationships — and receive them as a living sacrifice, our reasonable service to You. Amen.