" What god are You Serving ? "

 

Joshua 24:14-16  "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve HIM in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

And the people answered and said, GOD forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;"

     As a people and as a society, we serve many things. We serve our families, our bosses, our towns; but whom do we put first ? Doing this blog was not an easy one for me. I too have issues when it comes to whom I put first above all else. We say that we put GOD, the LORD JESUS CHRIST first, but do we really ?

     In Deuteronomy 6:13a it says, " Thou shalt fear the LORD thy GOD and serve HIM," In Matthew 6:24 it says, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve GOD and ________."  I deliberately left the last word out of the Scripture verse, because it could actually be anything. The word that GOD used was mammon, which means money; but what else could it mean besides money. Anything that we put first before the LORD.

     What is it that keeps you away from GOD's WORD ? What is it that keeps you away from a time of quiet prayer with the LORD ? What is it that keeps you from faithful service at a local church or fellowship of believers ? What is it that keeps you from faithfully witnessing for the LORD ? What god are you serving ?

     We sometimes have a hard time doing right and serving others in the spirit of humility. The LORD told us in Colossians 3:22-24, "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing GOD: and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the LORD, and not unto men; knowing that of the LORD ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the LORD CHRIST."

     When CHRIST came to earth, HE came to die for the sins of all mankind. That precious blood was shed as payment for our sins and to create a people that would be able to serve HIM. Hebrews 9:14 says, "How much more shall the blood of CHRIST, WHO through the eternal SPIRIT offered HIMSELF without spot to GOD, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living GOD."

     Serving GOD is a full-time job, no a full-time privilege, honor, and should be done out of a heart of love for HIM. I sing in the choir at our church and there are times that it feels as if I am not in the church building but that my voice takes me to the presence of the throne of GOD. The words that I am singing become a praise, a worship of and to HIM. At that moment there is nothing between me and HIS loving gaze and that is the way it should be always.

     Here are just some of the "gods" that have taken first place in your life, where GOD should be.

1. Our home & family

2. Our work, job

3. Fun (boats, motorcycles, RV's)

4. TV, Gaming, On-line social media

5. Friends & Smartphones

     When we put GOD back in the first place in our hearts, the rest will also be taken care of. Our family will have a better family member. Our employers will have a better employee. Fun will have its place, but not above the LORD. Friends will see JESUS in you and want to know HIM too. As I said above, I also struggle with keeping the Main thing, the Main thing !

     In 1st.Thessalonians 1:6-9 "And ye became followers of us, and of the LORD, having received the WORD in much affliction, with joy of the HOLY SPIRIT: so that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the WORD of the LORD not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to GOD-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to GOD from idols to serve the living and true GOD;" 

     None of the above list of things are bad in and of themselves; it is when they are used as an excuse to not put GOD or keep GOD first in your life. This blog was written to make born again believers think about their lives to see if there is some sliding going on and to stop it in its tracks. Have a talk with the LORD and ask HIM in what areas are you sliding into idolatry and HE will put HIS finger on those places that are a problem. 

     1st.John 1:5-2:2  "This then is the message which we have heard of HIM, and declare unto you, that GOD is light, and in HIM is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with HIM, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as HE is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of JESUS CHRIST HIS SON cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make HIM a liar, and HIS WORD is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an ADVOCATE with the FATHER, JESUS CHRIST the RIGHTEOUS: and HE is the propitiation (sacrificial payment) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." GOD wrote these WORDs through John to believers. We have full forgiveness of whatever we have done all we have to do is come to the LORD in repentance and faith for full restoration of our fellowship with the LORD. There is nothing worth more than that to a child of GOD.

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie