Worship Must Shape Our Lives | Pastor Stacey Crawford

"When God alone is worshiped, everything else gets put into its proper place." — Pastor Stacey Crawford

The Tree Church has spent the last several weeks digging into what real worship looks like. The series began with a look at worship that God accepts and worship He does not. From there the church heard about the importance of physically responding when we worship, what sacrificial worship looks like, and the idea that worship happens in the extraordinary, in the pain, and in the mundane moments of everyday life.

Pastor Stacey Crawford picked up that thread with a simple but pointed question. Who or what is it that you actually worship? Not who you would say you worship if someone asked you at church on a Sunday morning, but who or what actually holds first place in your daily choices.

Pastor Stacey opened with a picture. Imagine being invited to someone's home for dinner. The conversation is good, dessert is on the table, and then a guest notices something odd sitting in the middle of the living room. It looks important. It has a cross on it. But right next to the cross is a small golden idol.

Most people would feel uncomfortable. They might quietly wonder about the family's priorities, or even question whether they wanted to keep attending a church led by someone who kept an idol next to a symbol of their faith.

Pastor Stacey used that picture to turn the question back on the room. It is easy to be bothered by an idol sitting on a table. It is much harder to notice the idols that quietly sit in our own hearts, our schedules, and our bank accounts.

To dig into this, Pastor Stacey went back to Exodus 20, where God gives His people the Ten Commandments. The very first commandment tells the people of Israel to have no other gods before Him.

Pastor Stacey pointed out how strange that instruction might seem at first. God had just parted the sea, defeated the Egyptian army, and spoken to His people through thunder and a loud voice. These were people who had witnessed incredible, undeniable acts of God. Yet He still had to tell them not to chase after other gods.

The reason, Pastor Stacey explained, is that wandering is part of human nature after the fall. People wander when life is good because they start to believe they are the ones responsible for their own blessings. People wander when life is hard because fear and doubt creep in. People wander when life feels uncertain because trusting God in the unknown is difficult. Israel's story becomes a mirror for anyone honest enough to look into it.

From there, Pastor Stacey moved into the heart of the message. She said the things a person chooses to prioritize reveal the true condition of that person's heart. Most people, if asked to write down their priorities, would put God first, then family, then everything else. It looks tidy and correct on paper.

But Pastor Stacey suggested that if people looked honestly at where they actually spend their time, money, and energy, the list might look very different. Children and their activities often take the top spot. Jobs and the pressure to perform or get ahead come next. Money, hobbies, and other relationships can push their way in front of God as well, one small decision at a time.

She was clear that this was not a message aimed only at the congregation. She admitted to wrestling with the exact same struggle in her own life. Every day is made up of small choices, and those choices, repeated over time, slowly decide who or what actually sits on the throne of a person's life.

To help the church understand what happens when other things take God's place, Pastor Stacey turned to Psalm 115. The psalm begins by giving all glory to God, not because of anything people have done, but because of who God is and what He has already done for them.

The psalm then contrasts the living God with man-made idols. Idols have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear. They are lifeless and powerless, shaped entirely by human hands. Pastor Stacey pointed out how easy it is to swap out gold and silver idols for modern ones. Careers, kids, money, and social status can become just as lifeless and just as demanding when they take God's place.

The psalm ends with a warning that people become like whatever they worship. Worship the world, and a person becomes like the world. Worship money, and money begins to control that person's decisions. Pastor Stacey reminded the church that worship cannot be divided. One thing will always end up ruling over the other.

Pastor Stacey then told the story of Elijah from 1 Kings 18. Israel had drifted back into worshiping Baal, so God sent Elijah to confront the people. Elijah asked them how long they would keep limping between two opinions, torn between the true God and a false one.

The people said nothing. Their silence showed how far they had drifted.

Elijah set up a contest. The prophets of Baal built an altar and spent the day trying to call down fire from their god. Nothing happened. Elijah built his own altar, soaked it in water to remove any doubt, and prayed a simple prayer. Fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering completely. The people fell on their faces and declared that the Lord alone is God.

Pastor Stacey used this story to show that idols, no matter how loud or demanding they seem, have no real power. Only God does. When people finally see that clearly, it becomes much easier to put Him back where He belongs.

Rather than leave the message in theory, Pastor Stacey shared honest stories from her own life. She talked about the pressure to put her daughter into a competitive travel volleyball program, even though it would have meant missing church regularly. She and her husband said no, not because volleyball is wrong, but because they wanted their daughter's faith and their family's involvement at church to stay the priority.

She also talked about her own job becoming an idol at times, admitting that even good work done for the church can quietly become more important than her relationship with God if she is not careful. She shared how learning to protect a Sabbath rhythm has made her a better pastor, spouse, and mother.

Finally, she talked about the decision she and her husband made years ago to start tithing, even while they were in debt and raising a young child. It was a hard step of trust, but she shared that it eventually led to financial freedom and the ability to give generously without fear.

Pastor Stacey closed the message with a clear and simple challenge. Make God the top priority and let Him guide every decision. She reminded the church that every time her family has chosen to put God first, everything else in life has fallen into its proper place.

She invited both campuses to take a moment of reflection, asking each person to consider what idol may have taken God's place in their own life, and to surrender it back to Him. The message ended in prayer, asking God to help the church lay down whatever they have placed above Him and to trust Him to lead.

If this message stirred something in your heart, we would love for you to worship with us in person. The Tree Church meets at two campuses, one in Lancaster and one in Logan, Ohio, with services each Sunday at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM.

Whether you are searching for a church in Lancaster or a church in Logan, we would love to welcome you home. Come as you are and grow with us in your walk with Jesus.