Courting Christ: Why Worship God?

Then God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. - Exodus 20:1-6 (NASB)

There are three major benefits (among many, many others) to worshipping only God. First of all, it will delight us. God worship will provide the fulfillment we seek. If we seek our happiness in the Lord, He will give us our heart’s desire[1]. The only regret I have ever heard from old Christians about their walk with Christ is that they didn’t come to Him sooner. Didn’t He promise that whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed[2]? Why settle for the artificial and unsatisfying when we can possess the reality?
Second, worshipping God alone will deliver us. It is liberating[3].

• We are set free from needing everyone else’s approval. We won’t have to please a bunch of different people. We only have to please One – the Lord God[4].
• We are set free from our past. We are forgiven of our sins and given strength to overcome the consequences that remain.
• We are set free from our present sin. The Holy Spirit’s power is available to overcome old and deeply ingrained habits.
• We are set free from the fear of death. For us the future is bright and death is no more than a move to a better neighborhood[5].

Third, worshipping only God will develop us. In the process of setting our sights on becoming like Christ[6], we are gradually transformed by the Spirit[7]. Right now, we may not seem like much, but one day we will be like Him[8]. What an amazing concept! The old lie of the devil, that false promise he made to our ancestors long ago was that if we followed his instructions, we could be like gods[9]. But what the devil failed to deliver, God Himself has made possible. We can be like Him. We too can be holy[10].

In order to cultivate a relationship with God, we must be faithful to Him. We must set aside our idolatrous ideas of what He is and take Him as He presents Himself in the Scriptures. We must worship Him and only Him. But when we do – oh, the benefits!

[1] Psalm 37:4
[2] Romans 10:11
[3] John 8:32, 36
[4] Acts 5:29
[5] Philippians 1:21-24
[6] Philippians 3:12-14
[7] 2 Corinthians 3:18
[8] 1 Corinthians 13:12
[9] Genesis 3:5
[10] 1 Peter 1:16