Serving God
"Thus says the LORD, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it” (NASB) Jeremiah 6:16
Humanity from creation has been subjects of worship. There is always the affinity to believe and serve someone or something. In our attempt to worship and please the true God, mankind has tried different ways to get to Him. Let us realize that there are right and wrong ways to serve God. Obviously, the right way will please God, and the wrong ways will sadden His heart since they lead to damnation or rejection. Therefore, it is just not enough to serve God as we wish but we have to do that according to the design and standard of worship He has set for us.
As Christians, one of the standards is to serve God faithfully. The good book says; “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”. (Eccl. 12:13). Indeed, God loves all humanity but will provide salvation to only those who obey Him and worship according to His will (Matt 7:21).
In serving God, we are reminded to always seek the old paths, stand in the old ways, and it will be good for us (Jeremiah 6:16). Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This is the desire of God which he made clear in Luke 9:35: “A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." The apostles who heard this voice of God followed what Jesus taught them and passed on the truth to our generation through the New Testament of the Bible. Therefore, we are encouraged to “keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me (Paul)--everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).
Beloved, we cannot serve God anyhow. He is true to Himself, and He is faithful to His words. God cannot lie. His words from the Bible must be respected without compromise. A renewal or revival is needed when we go astray. We must encourage others to be faithful to God always. If we will repent and turn to God, God will restore blessings far above what we desire or can possibly imagine.