He Is The Only One To Serve

The greatest blessing of being a child of God is the knowledge that we serve only one Lord. So many of man's attempt to worship is rooted in a multiplicity of gods to worship. He is not satisfied to worship only one Lord. Temples fill the earth with various representations of gods where men bow and give homage. Within the religion of Christianity many give honor to images, idols and relics. The true nature of Jesus Christ is found in His answer to Satan in Luke 4:8 - "It is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.'" There is no other being to worship; no man to worship; no deities to bow down to. As people of God we serve only Jehovah and Him alone.

From the paradise of the Garden of Eden we see how man and God walked together in the cool of the day. All that the Lord desired for man is that he serve one Lord. Satan changed that when he said to Eve, "Has God indeed said" (Genesis 3:1). Satan seeks to tempt man to serve himself, to serve his own needs, to serve his own desires and pleasures. When men turn away from God they seek to serve their own lusts. People of God are happy to serve only one Lord.

Serving God alone is to serve someone who does not lie. Paul writes of our "hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal" (Titus 1:2). Who can we serve that is greater than that? The Lord is the only one to serve because He has given us promises that were made before He created man and remain until man is no more. "To whom then will ye liken God or what likeness will ye compare unto him?" (Isaiah 40:18). What in this world can you serve that is greater than that? Men will fail you, riches will fade away and pleasures of this world will be found empty. "Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. So that with good courage we say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear: What shall man do unto me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6).

David wrote one of the most powerful testimonies to his trust in Jehovah God. "Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalms 23:1). The twenty-third psalm is a tribute to David's love for serving only one God. He recognized the blessing of being a child of God in trusting God with caring for him in every part of his life. He had no lack of blessings material or spiritual. He could stand before his enemies and not be afraid. Jesus would later say of His own Father, "The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:29-30). David served only one Lord.

The challenge for all disciples of Christ is to remove the hindrances to servitude to God. "Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16). We cannot serve our wealth, our pleasures, our desires or our own lives. Worship to God is recognizing Him and Him alone as our guide, our truth, our answer and our Lord. The blessings are immeasurable. All spiritual blessings are found in His Son (Ephesians 1:1-7). Death does not have power over those who serve God alone (1 Corinthians 15:53-57). Serving the Lord finds blessings in this life and in the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8).

During the temptation, Satan promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The Son of God laid the foundation of our love for God in declaring that there is only one to worship and only one to serve. Worship is servitude and servitude is worship. The blessing of serving God alone is the promises that He alone can give. "Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

By Kent Heaton

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