Matthew 4:8-10
Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
I read this in a email devotional snippet and it raise one interesting point. That all service for Him is to flow out of worship. No worship=no service.
In Matthew 4, when Jesus was alone in the wilderness, the devil tempted him with all the material wealth and power. It must have been a tempting option as the journey Christ was to walk was one of servanthood and to serve and not be exalted. He could have been distracted by the promises but Jesus examplified to us the way out of life's distraction is to worship the Lord our God.
Worship lifts us from the miry perspective of our condition and self. As we lift our hands in surrender and choose to exault God above our situation and issues, nothing else on earth matters more. In fact, the soul feeds on glamour, pride and achievements, but during worship, our spirit in renewed and the soul's desire is religated.
As we move onwards into the weeks of this year, let us remember to come back to worship frequently - if possible, daily. Before we can serve God or even live through the secular days, worship must always come before. When the worship wanes, service to God and life becomes a drag and takes it's toll on us. We sigh more, sulk more, feel exhausted easily and walk with weary feet. Why? simply because the Holy Spirit does not energize our vision and persepective.
May you and I choose to life our eyes and hands in daily surrender as we worship the Almighty God. Then will we serve God and live life with vigour.
blessings,
M.
"He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. "(Deuteronomy 10:21)
15 January 2008
Worship comes first.
Matthew 4:8-10
Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
I read this in a email devotional snippet and it raise one interesting point. That all service for Him is to flow out of worship. No worship=no service.
In Matthew 4, when Jesus was alone in the wilderness, the devil tempted him with all the material wealth and power. It must have been a tempting option as the journey Christ was to walk was one of servanthood and to serve and not be exalted. He could have been distracted by the promises but Jesus examplified to us the way out of life's distraction is to worship the Lord our God.
Worship lifts us from the miry perspective of our condition and self. As we lift our hands in surrender and choose to exault God above our situation and issues, nothing else on earth matters more. In fact, the soul feeds on glamour, pride and achievements, but during worship, our spirit in renewed and the soul's desire is religated.
As we move onwards into the weeks of this year, let us remember to come back to worship frequently - if possible, daily. Before we can serve God or even live through the secular days, worship must always come before. When the worship wanes, service to God and life becomes a drag and takes it's toll on us. We sigh more, sulk more, feel exhausted easily and walk with weary feet. Why? simply because the Holy Spirit does not energize our vision and persepective.
May you and I choose to life our eyes and hands in daily surrender as we worship the Almighty God. Then will we serve God and live life with vigour.
blessings,
M.
"He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. "(Deuteronomy 10:21)
Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
I read this in a email devotional snippet and it raise one interesting point. That all service for Him is to flow out of worship. No worship=no service.
In Matthew 4, when Jesus was alone in the wilderness, the devil tempted him with all the material wealth and power. It must have been a tempting option as the journey Christ was to walk was one of servanthood and to serve and not be exalted. He could have been distracted by the promises but Jesus examplified to us the way out of life's distraction is to worship the Lord our God.
Worship lifts us from the miry perspective of our condition and self. As we lift our hands in surrender and choose to exault God above our situation and issues, nothing else on earth matters more. In fact, the soul feeds on glamour, pride and achievements, but during worship, our spirit in renewed and the soul's desire is religated.
As we move onwards into the weeks of this year, let us remember to come back to worship frequently - if possible, daily. Before we can serve God or even live through the secular days, worship must always come before. When the worship wanes, service to God and life becomes a drag and takes it's toll on us. We sigh more, sulk more, feel exhausted easily and walk with weary feet. Why? simply because the Holy Spirit does not energize our vision and persepective.
May you and I choose to life our eyes and hands in daily surrender as we worship the Almighty God. Then will we serve God and live life with vigour.
blessings,
M.
"He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. "(Deuteronomy 10:21)
