Renewal of Your Mind

What Does It Mean to Serve and Worship God?

October 5, 2010 at 4:17 PM Leave a comment

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By: Deryl S. Lampkin

Worship moreover is understood by many to be some sort of religious or ritualistic act or gestures of praise and adoration directed towards a deity or something held in high esteem. In religion, there are many external expressions of worship that people use to show their love, respect and adoration toward their object of worship.

In the Old Testament, there were many types and shadows demonstrated in a carnal form to illustrate something in spirit form. For example: Paul talks about a Jew that is a Jew outwardly, meaning that he is a blood descendant of Abraham, has been circumcised, and subscribes to the Law of Moses. On the other hand, there is the Jew who is a Jew inwardly, meaning that he qualifies to be a true Jew because he has accepted Jesus as lord and savior and has purified his heart by walking in the spirit and not after the flesh.

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

Rom 2:29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

So we see that it really does not matter whether a person has circumcised the penis (something that a woman can’t do anyway), but what does matter is that your heart is circumcised. Circumcision of the heart is the cutting away of carnal and fleshly desires from your heart. It is the renewing of the mind with the Word of God, which replaces your sinful and carnal thoughts, beliefs, and desires.

So there are the outward forms of worship, and there is true worship, which is spiritual and comes from the heart. Anyone can raise or clap their hands and say praise the lord, thank you Jesus. But true worshippers do not have to go to a certain place like a church building at a certain time to praise and worship God. They worship God in spirit and in truth all the time where ever they are and not just in words but also in deeds. It is nice to raise your hands and wave them in the air, but God desires to use our hands to help one another and to do the physical work he has called us to.

Jhn 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Jhn 4:24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

It is some time easier to understand a concept by examining its opposite. Worshipping and serving the devil implies doing the things that pleases the devil. It is allowing the devil to use you to produce evil, worldly, and fleshly, works of unrighteousness in the earth. Therefore, worshipping God is just the opposite. It is allowing God to use you to produce works of righteousness that pleases God.

You serve who you love. Who you love is made evident by the type of works you are producing. If you examine your works and see that they are mostly worldly and carnal, then it is evident that you are serving the devil. If you see that your works are mostly works of righteousness, things that reflect the will and desires of God, then you are serving God.

But be not deceived, it is possible to do righteous works in a self-serving manner. That is to say that you are doing it to bring glory to yourself rather than God and to get people to worship you. Such works appear to be righteous but are really of the flesh and to glorify flesh and will be found unacceptable to God.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.

Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

True worship has little to do with what we do in Sunday services. That is really a time of fellowship and at best, a form and fashion of external worship. But true worship is how we allow God to use us after the benediction.

Related Articles

• Should Jesus be worshippped? (pastorbobcornwall.blogspot.com)

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Entry filed under: Article. Tags: Abraham, Christianity, Deryl S. Lampkin, God, Jesus, Moses, Old Testament, Religion and Spirituality, Worship.