Worship God Alone “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith 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.” Matthew 4:8–10 You would have thought that Jerome Moody was safe that summer day in 1985. He was attending a party held by the New Orleans Recreation Department attended by more than one hundred lifeguards. They were gathered to celebrate a year in which no one had drowned in any of the city pools. But when the lifeguards (there were four on duty in addition to those attending the party as guests) began clearing the pool at the end of the day, they found the body of the thirty-one year old man drowned at the bottom of the pool. What began as a celebration ended as a tragedy because people did not keep their focus on what mattered most. Satan is always looking for ways to draw our attention away from God and substitute something else in His rightful place. It doesn’t matter if the thing he uses is something good—as long as it takes God off the throne of our hearts, the devil is perfectly happy. One of his key temptations is the one he tried on Jesus, tempting Him to avoid the cross by worshiping Satan instead. Jesus responded as He did to all three temptations by quoting the Word of God, and focusing on the sole worship of God as our duty. At this busy season of the year, the temptation is to lose our rightful focus on the Christ of Christmas. The enemy gains a great victory if presents, parties, and celebrations keep us from worshiping Jesus. Make sure that nothing takes His place. Today’s Renewal Principle: Do not allow anything—no matter how good it is—to draw your heart away from Jesus Christ.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 13:00:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015