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Week 1 -
September 9th thru September 16th
Serving
Our God - Worship
Devotional 1.1
Worship and
Service
“I urge you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, to present you
bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1
What a gracious and loving God we
worship and serve! When our Lord forgave us of our sins, we experienced a
release of guilt which brought about feelings of joy and peace. Salvation
is a wonderful gift from God, but He knew we needed more if we were to
experience the abundant life He had planned for us. He knew, for us to have
an abundant life, we needed to have a close relationship with Him. That
close relationship happens when we worship and serve Him with integrity,
genuine devotion in spirit, reverence, respect and truth. Worship and
service are absolutely necessary if we are to live a happy Christian life.
To serve God we don’t have to wait for instructions. It is our
responsibility to know our Master intimately. Once we begin to know Him in
this way, we are able to act as an extension of His will in the world,
knowing what He would want and doing it with confidence. It begins with
worship. Every encounter with God in worship increases our faith and desire
to serve Him. Worship is at the heart of our relationship with God. One of
His expectations of service from us is to share the “Good News” with those
around us. Not only does it glorify our Lord, the object of our worship,
but it also changes us. True worship and service is a life-changing
experience. It is an amazing gift from God, and it works!
Something to think about: Bringing pleasure to God is called “worship”.
So, anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.
Question: What more can I do to intensify the way I worship and serve God?
Pray
that we will continue to worship and serve God with the right kind of
spirit, reverence, obedience and respect.
***
Serving Our God - Worship
Devotional 1.2
Bryce Canyon
“The heavens declare the glory of God and the
firmament showeth his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 (KJV)
Several years ago
on one of my travels to visit relatives on the west coast, I spent the night
in Southern Utah. I had intentionally stayed there in order that I could go
out to Bryce Canyon in order to witness it at sunrise. Bryce Canyon is a
canyon made up of red, yellow and orange rocks. When the sunrise first
glances off of the rocks it is almost breathtaking and your first thought is
to praise God for the beauty of it.
Sometimes when I am sharing about my trips out west
the reaction is: “I don’t like it out there, nothing is out there but
rocks!” The creator God made this world with a wide variety of landscapes.
If we are not careful, we get so used to what we see everyday that we forget
to praise Him for what we have around us and it takes a Bryce Canyon or Lake
Tahoe to wake us up. How can I but praise Him for the beauty of His
creation?
Have you thanked God today for the area that you live
in? He provides the air that you breathe; the water that you drink; and the
food that you eat.
“Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord? Who is like
Thee, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” Exodus
15:11 (NAS)
***
Serving Our God - Worship
Devotional 1.3
Why Service and Worship
“Have this attitude among yourselves which was also in
Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did
not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness
of men.” Phil. 2:5-7
Some people may ask, “Why place so much emphasis on
service?” I accepted Christ as my Savior and was baptized. I attend
Sunday School and church regularly, so why should I concern myself with
serving in or outside the church?
In Phil. 2:2-7, Paul tells us we are to have the same
attitude (mind) as Christ Jesus: “6who, being in very nature God
. . . 7but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a
servant”....
Since we are to have the mind of Christ, who became a
servant, we too are to serve our Lord by serving others. We are “created in
Christ Jesus unto good works (service) which God prepared beforehand that we
should do them.” (Eph. 2:10)
Why serve? Because we were created to bring God glory
and pleasure. When we do the works He has prepared for us to do, it brings
Him pleasure and this is worship.
***
Serving Our God - Worship
Devotional 1.4
Know What to Do – Why Don’t I Do It?
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not what I
say?” Luke 6:46
I Know What to Do – So Why Don’t I Do It by
Nick Hall, PhD, is the title of a self-help book I was reading recently.
The teachings of the book could be about anyone of us at various times and
situation in our life. Examples could be if you are someone who eats
copious amounts of fatty food, despite the proven link with disease; who
neglects to return that important phone call; or who risks injury by driving
at excessive speed without wearing a seat belt.
Why don’t we do the things that need to be done or
said? A lot of variables come into the picture as well as common excuses,
such as, “I’m too stressed”, “I don’t believe I can”, ”I don’t have time”,
“I don’t have the energy or don’t feel like it, “I’m afraid I’ll make a
mistake”, or “I can’t do it alone.” Sound familiar?
We do have responsibilities in our life. We are to
take care of ourselves and our families, make wise decisions and make a
difference with our life. Making a difference in life for Christians comes
through the fulfilling of our purpose . . . that of serving others. We were
not saved by service (good works), but we are saved for
service. Whenever we serve others in any way, we are actually serving God
and fulfilling one of our purposes. “For we are God’s workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to
do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) We were created by God to do good works.
So, what about
those excuses? The Bible says, “Each of us will have to give a personal
account to God.” Romans 14:12
(NLT) Oh, my . . .
Does that bother you like it does me? At that point all our excuses for
self-centeredness will seem lame. What will God’s response be to “I was too
busy” or “I was too preoccupied with my own ‘stuff’”? (I don’t think He
will be impressed.) God told us that He created us, saved us and commanded
us to a life of service. If we aren’t following this command, perhaps we
are missing our true significance or value in life. Many times it is
through ministry or service that we find the meaning of our lives.
***
Serving Our God - Worship
Devotional 1.5
Worshiping God by Serving
“Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now
and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the
name of the Lord is to be praised.” Psalm 113:1-3 (NIV)
My daddy was an ordinary man, and his shoes were
usually dusty from working as a carpenter or farming and ranching. He bowed
his head over every meal and one phrase he always included was “bless this
food to our use and us in Your service”. He lived a life of service by
serving his country in WWII, serving his community 35 years on the school
board, and serving in leadership in a small church most of his adult life.
He was an example of Christian living to his family and community. His life
became an act of daily worship through putting God first and serving others
by doing his duty, his job, and trying to meet the needs of others. Work
to serve God in your life everyday from the rising of the sun to its setting
now and forevermore as this is worship to Him. Challenge yourself to find
ways to worship God in your life each day in all that you do. |
