Alone God is Worthy
Worship is life, or, at least, that’s what the Bible claims. That’s why we here at More Than Sundays wanted to take some time to dive into the topic so that we could all cherish worship like God cherishes it. We hope the articles in this series are a blessing to you in this and many other regards. Please enjoy!
There are often phrases that we say as Christians that elicit a certain response such as “Duh!” or “Everyone knows that!” As I write these, I picture my teenage daughter rolling her eyes and flipping her hair as she says them, and I recommend that you do the same. They are phrases or concepts that seem simple and taken for granted, often like the saying that the right answer in Sunday school is always “Jesus”. This often means that we give them less weight or at least that we don’t spend as much time thinking about them or breaking down the deeper significance that they may hold. One of those phrases that stems from Scripture – only God is worthy of our praise and worship. Again, as you read this, you quite possibly went “Duh!” or “Of course!” or something along those lines. It is something that as a Christian seems simple, not needing any further exploration or examination. However, I would argue quite the opposite. I would argue that it requires a great deal of thought and examination. I would say that this is even more true as we finish up the Thanksgiving holiday season and begin preparing for Christmas. Of course, by “begin preparing”, I mean “get all of the things out that we started buying when Christmas items were put out last January”. (This is both sarcastic and unfortunately serious at the same time.)
The statement that we are going to look into more deeply comes from Luke 4:5-8 (ESV) “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”” Jesus here is quoting Deuteronomy 6:13 (ESV), which says, “It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” This set of Scripture comes from when Jesus was in the wilderness, and after He had fasted for forty days and nights, Satan tempted Him. Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy not only to Satan but to those who would later hear His words. This reference helps to solidify the statement’s purpose as well as fulfill it. This is an important scenario for many reasons; it not only proves who Jesus is, but it also establishes His authority in God and firmly helps to solidify an understanding of the Trinity and its hierarchy. Jesus finished this set of Scripture stating that we are to worship God alone, who is our Lord and serve Him alone. This statement is powerful on its own but becomes even more powerful when the Son of God states it. Only the Lord God deserves our praise, not anyone or anything else.
This is a concept that can be somewhat more prevalent when we get to the holiday season. We just finished a holiday that for most has become a time to spend with family and be grateful for all that we have. This is a great concept, but it is one that can be easily manipulated and the thankfulness misplaced thanks to our own human nature. Now, I am not saying that it is bad to be thankful for what we have or to be grateful for those around us. What I am saying is that no matter how thankful and grateful we are, the Lord our God should be the focus of that praise and thankfulness. It is easy to think it is our own work or someone else’s work that produces the things we are thankful for; it is easy to think that it is because of our own hard work and sacrifice that all of these great things come to fruition. However, as Jesus stated, this praise should only belong to God as He is the One that we serve. It is important especially during the holiday seasons that we keep this concept in the front of our minds. It is easy to worship our own handiwork, our own pride, or our own success instead of acknowledging and giving thanks that anything and everything we achieve comes from the Father and the Father alone.
This knowledge and concept that we are to worship God alone and praise Him alone is doubly important as we begin to enter the Christmas season. Now I am not saying that Christmas is bad – not at all, because it is my favorite holiday season! What I am saying is that in a season where gift-giving and celebrating others is the norm, the real reason and one that we should be celebrating can get lost or at least muddled. God alone is the only one worthy and deserving of our worship, and yes, in this Christmas season Jesus is a part of that. It is important that with every song that we sing, every gift that we give, every cookie we bake or eat, and every Christmas movie that we watch that we never forget that the focus of all of this joy and adoration is the Lord our God. The season and the festivities should only be a vessel that we use to shout out our glory and praise to God. So I challenge you as you finish one holiday season and move into another to think of why we celebrate. Take time and think of why we are thankful for everything that we have. Think of why we give gifts and sing songs, and much like Sunday school the answer is “Jesus”, or rather God the Father. Remember the words of Luke this holiday season and give praise and serve only the Lord our God!