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A Devotional by Dr. David Jeremiah

November 6, 2013
Worship … and Serve

”Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”

Matthew 4:10

Recommended Reading: Matthew 4:1-11; 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. NIV

In his book Called to Worship, Vernon Whaley writes, “True worship embraces love for the people of God—demonstrated through service…. Our worship of God cannot be isolated from the real world or trapped inside the walls of our ‘secret place.’ It must impact us to reach out to and at times confront the culture around us.”

In the New Testament the Pharisees knew much about God and His Law, but they didn’t have compassion for the people around them. When the Lord Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, the Pharisees were critical. But true worshippers exhibit a God-like behavior that touches the lives of others in service. When we truly worship God, we’re transformed into His likeness and become people who reach out to others and serve them. When we enter into the needs of other people and begin to minister to them, we recapture the sense of the wonder of who God is.

Sing a song of praise to the Lord today. Find a way to serve God and touch the lives of those around you.

When God’s people turn their hearts to biblical worship, there will be social change. And with that change comes ethical and moral accountability.

Vernon Whaley


© 2013 Turning Point

Category:

Spiritual

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