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Short Sermon #80: GOD IS YOUR GOD IF WORSHIPPED ONLY - Powerful short devotions

A child of God is one who worships only Him. That's what I believe.

Somebody once said, “God is God if He is worshiped only.” I agree with this statement. As far as I am concerned, it is unheard of, even in the natural world, for one to have a multitude of fathers. "You shall have no other gods…” (Deuteronomy 5 Verse 7, NIV).

It is important for worshipers to examine how they worship God. True worship is exclusive and well-defined; it stands alone. One should never mix it with another kind of worship, because once that happens, it ceases to be true worship; it becomes a gamble of immense proportions.

When one becomes a new creation, they become a ‘different’ creation. The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV).

The old has gone; the new has come. One cannot be old and new at the same time. The moment that one gives their life to God, they become new, without a past or history. They have just been born.

An infant does not know anything called ‘the past'. The infant only knows the present and looks forward to the future.

The past that a Christian recalls at the time of their new birth relates to the time when they were still unsaved. It is actually a ‘natural’ past - the kind that disappeared. This is the life that is substituted with the new life.

When one receives salvation, they should straight away begin to examine every aspect of their lives in the light of their new creation status. They should begin to ask questions like, “Does this still relate to me?” or “Should I continue along these lines?” or “What is God’s position on this?”

Every human being is a worshiper of some sort. 
Before one receives salvation, they worship certain kinds of god. However, after receiving salvation, one should abandon such kind of worship and adopt just the kind of worship that pleases God, i.e. the ‘in spirit and truth’ kind.

At the time that one receives salvation, they are an infant in the house of God. They do not know anything, because they have no past. Whatever they will proceed to learn, they will learn from the Father. When they face trials, tests and temptations, they should be in a position to tell how the Father expects them to proceed.

The problem with some worshipers is that they just cannot cut loose of their old ways of worship. They say, “We have always worshiped like this…” Where did they get that from?
If they are a new creation, then they have no past. They therefore cannot talk of how they used to worship, because they are just beginning to learn how to. How could they have worshiped in the past when they were born only recently?

There are types of worship that emanate from mankind. There is a kind of worship that emanates from God. Every worshiper should learn to abandon the man-kind of worship, if they are to experience the new-creation realities.
There are choices to be made regarding worship. Some of the choices might be difficult to make, but one should understand that worshiping God comes with a price tag.

What did Paul do to gain Christ?
Listen to this: “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8, NIV). 
For him to gain Christ, Paul had to lose all that he used to stand for. This is the meaning of the ‘new creation’.

Paul had to cut the umbilical cord with his past. The same should apply to you; you have to suffer a loss. You should part ways with those things that are unacceptable in the Father’s House, including those that might appear right at face value.

I write the way I do because I know that our God is a jealous God. “He is a holy God; he is a jealous God” (Joshua 24:19, NIV). He says, “You should be mine exclusively; you should cut ties with any other” He adds, “If you are still in love with another, then it means either that we were never married, or it is time for us to divorce.”

That is the jealousy to which I refer. I appreciate it fully; it is just not right for one to cling to the created instead of clinging to the Creator!

God is God if He is worshiped only. Keep this in mind.

PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may worship only the living God for the rest of my life.

Heavenly Father, I believe that You alone are God - the God of heavens and earth, the living God. I look around and see no other; because of this, I have given my life to You.

Grant me the wisdom to discern alternative kinds of worship, so that I may stay clear of them. Strengthen me in the presence of those who worship anything they are introduced to. May I stand firm in Your path so that I may not face humiliation in Your presence.

I give the Holy Spirit all the space in my heart. May He come and make his home in me. Darkness should have no place in me; for, when light shines, darkness disappears.

I thank You, Holy Father, for the life of Christ in me, the hope that surpasses all understanding. It is Christ who gives me the strength to carry on in this life, nobody else and nothing else.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

You may also want to read: BEING A FRIEND OF GOD LIKE ABRAHAM
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