King Jesus Says – Serve God Only

You want it? I can give it to you. All you have to do is …

The enemy was no longer looking challenging the identity. He was going for the jugular. He was offering something that would be enticing to anyone. All the glory of all the kingdoms of the world was his to offer. They were offered to Jesus. Jesus the would-be King. He could get what presumably He was looking for quickly. All it required was to bow down and worship the enemy.

Centuries earlier, three Hebrew men in positions of influence only had to bow before the image of the king of the world to maintain their positions. It was a mere formality. Not asking for too much. Just bow down to that image, acknowledge the king of the world, give him the reverence his grand position deserved. That’s all they had to do. Their respectful but insistent refusal called for them to face the wrath of the kingdom.

Jesus didn’t face that threat explicitly. Yet His reason to defy the offer made to him was a similar stance as those Hebrew men.

The act of worship, the bowing that expresses it is only reserved to the one who is worth it. As Jesus would teach later when it came to the issue of taxes, the coin that had Caesar’s head on it, clearly belonged to Caesar. The human that has the image of God stamped within clearly belongs to God. And God alone. No one else is worthy. Whatever they’re offering.

Yet isn’t the offer enticing. Imagine it. Just picture it. You want the security? That can be offered to you in this world? You want the financial independence? That can be made available to you. You want the adulation of people? That can come your way. You want to be admired for all your success? That does not have to be a problem at all.

Just bow down to the enemy.

Just bow down.

Just bow.

With the best intentions, people have considered that offer and been able to just do the one small act of worship. They think the offer is one worth taking for the outcomes they desire. They think for what they will do with the position, with the security, with the prosperity, that they will be effective in reaching others. That is what they think.

They do not recognise the cost. They do not factor in the consequence … until it is too late.

Worse still they have not truly appreciated the worthy nature of the only one who should get the worship. They have missed the true value and glory of the Creator of the Universe. They have settled for significantly less than the very best that life to offer, because they have turned their back on life. And turning their back on life makes everything else illusory and delusional. Grasping at the straws on offer that will blow away like dust in the wind.

Worship and serving God is an exclusive pursuit. It is not something you can do in conjunction with loyalty to other causes. He alone is worthy of that worship. No mixing and matching. No compromise.

It’s not easy though. It is not easy at all. The temptations every day to compromise is real. The desire to serve yourself rather than God. The temptation to serve something or someone else is pressing subtly as well as overtly. The quickest way to get your ministry done is just compromise in this area. People will come if you just compromise in this area. Your financial situation can be resolved if you just compromise in this area. It’s a small thing isn’t it? What’s the harm in that if you get what you want? Will we bow to the wiles of the evil one and let him have mastery over us?

Or will we hear, obey and teach others to observe what King Jesus says?

(Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden