Genesis 2:15. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word worship?
Maybe a kind of music. Or maybe you think of what Christians do in church on Sundays. But worship is much more than something we do one day a week. And it’s much more than just a style of music.
Everybody is a worshiper and everybody is worshiping something all of the time. How do we know this? Because Genesis 2:15 says that God created us to be worshipers. Do you see the word “work” in Genesis 2:15? Well, that is the same word as the word for worship. In Hebrew (the language Genesis was written in) the words for work and worship are the same word. So when God put Adam in the garden to work it, he was also putting Adam in the garden to worship. Not worship the garden, but worship God by taking care of the garden.
When we say that everybody is worshipping something, we might say it this way: everybody is serving something. Who or what are you serving? Well, as you are growing up, there are definitely a lot of people telling you what to do. Parents. Teachers. Coaches. Pastors. You might also be doing what your friends or the other kids want you to do. Even as adults we serve lots of different people. Bosses. The government. Pastors. And just like you, we never stop wanting to be liked or be popular.
The truth is, when we serve people just so that we can avoid being in trouble, or so that we can fit in, or be popular, or if we serve others in order to look good to others, the reality is that we are only serving ourselves. Which means we are worshiping ourselves.
Years later, after Genesis, when God brought his people out of Egypt where they were slaves to Pharaoh, he told them that they must only serve or worship him.
Exodus 23:25. You shall serve only the Lord your God.
Years after this, Jesus himself will say it this way to Satan:
Matthew 4:10. Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Does serving only God mean that we ignore everyone else and never do anything good for them? Does serving only God mean that we don’t have to obey our parents or teachers, our bosses or the government? Does worshiping only God mean that we can never do anything that makes us feel good or makes us happy?
No, that is NOT what it means. What it means that in whatever we do, we should do it the way God wants us to. We should do everything for God’s glory first, not our own glory or happiness. We should do everything because we love God and others, not because we love ourselves.
Obey your parents and teachers, not to stay out of trouble, but because you love God and you love your parents and teachers. Do nice things for your friends, not just to fit in, but because being kind honors God. Help out those in need, not just to get service hours for school, but because God created you to be helpful. Listen to worship songs, not just because they sound good, but because they focus your heart on God.
Who or what are you serving? Is it God or yourself? With Jesus we are set free from having to worship ourselves. We are free to love God for who he is and then serve others as a way to worship God not gain things for ourselves.
Questions: Who or what have you been serving? In what ways do you serve yourself? What will serving/worshiping God look like for you today?
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