“Who Will We Worship?”

"Who Will We Worship?"

     We all must have a god, either the living and true One, or a false version of human, worldly, and devilish origin.

    "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen" (Romans 1:22-25).

    Worship is innate in human hearts.  We all affix ourselves to something outside ourselves that guides, influences, and controls us.  We may not realize that we do so, and we may think we control our own lives.  Nothing could be further from the truth, however, because whatever outside ourselves motivates our attitudes and actions rules us rather than our ruling it.  "Thou shalt worship the Lord, and Him only shalt thou serve… Jesus answered them and said, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (Matthew 4:10; John 8:34).

    Who will we worship?  The living and true God?  Or idols?  The question involves life and death, truth and reality, good and evil, joy and sorrow, peace and turmoil, mercy and judgment.  Again, no possibility exists that we will not worship, that we will not allow ourselves to be governed by someone or something outside ourselves.  We will worship.  Thus, we must consider this spiritual reality as the most important matter of our lives, first by being born again through faith in the Son of the living and true God.  "We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3).  We then seek to live in the reality of our freely given salvation that makes possible freely given capacity to worship the true God.  "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).   Even as believers, we may or may not rightly worship.  However, the power of Christ dwells within us to enable the potential of a life lived in loving devotion to the only object of worship that enlivens us in the light of reality.  "Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6).  All other gods are not really gods.  They might as well be, however, to those who worship that which destroys rather than delivers.  Yes, we all must have a god to whom we bow, and who subsequently guides, controls, and leads us to either life or death.

"For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens."

(I Chronicles 16:26)

"The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

(John 4:23)

Weekly Memory Verse

   Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

(Philippians 4:20)