QUESTION 3
Whom
Should We Worship And Direct Our Prayers To?
Jesus, Himself, always directed
all worship towards His God and Father. Exclusively! Undividedly!
Mt.4:8-10
Again the Adversary takes Him along into a very high mountain,
and is showing Him all the
kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him,
"All these to you will I
be giving, if ever, falling down, you should be worshiping me."
Then Jesus is saying to
him, "Go away, Satan, for it is written,
The Lord your God shall
you be worshiping,
And to Him only shall
you be offering divine service."
In His Own situation, as in
the garden, it is to His God and Father that He prayed to.
Heb.5:7,8
Who, in the days of His flesh,
offering both petitions
and supplications with strong clamor and tears
to Him Who is able to
save Him out of death, being hearkened to also for His piety,
even He also, being a Son,
learned obedience from that which He suffered.
Mt.26:39 And
coming forward a little, He falls on His face, praying and saying,
"My Father, if it
is possible, let this cup pass by from Me.
However, not as I will,
but as Thou!"
He did not draw such worship
to Himself, but sought to channel all glory to God. When asked by the apostles
to teach them to pray, it is the Father to Whom He directs them.
Mt.6:9,10
"Thus, then, you be praying:
`Our Father Who art
in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will
be done, as in heaven, on earth also
It is very common in Scripture,
then, to find acclaim and thanksgiving being given to the Father for blessings,
both spiritual and otherwise.
Rom.1:8
... I am thanking my God...
1Cor.1:4
I am thanking my God always...
2Cor.2:14
Now thanks be to God, Who always gives us a triumph in Christ,
Eph.5:20,21
giving thanks always for all things, ….to our God and Father,
Rom.15:6 ...
glorifying the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom.16:25,27
to the only, and wise God, through Christ Jesus,
be glory for the eons of the eons.
1Cor.10:31
whether you are eating or drinking, or anything you are doing,
do all for the glory of God.
2Cor.1:3
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,...
Eph.1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, …
Eph.3:14,15
to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, …
after Whom every kindred …is being named,
Our problem is that we tend
to live a contradiction. We want to worship God and, at the same time,
we desire to pursue the 'good things' in life. Contentment does not
seem to be a very common, or desirable, virtue. Most of us do not know
what 'peace of mind' is. It seems quite natural to be always anxious
about bettering our situation. We have become indoctrinated by the alluring
call to get out of the rat-race, to be progressive and to live 'with
the times'. We are encouraged to 'realise our potential' and
to be 'willing to pay the price', whatever it takes, to achieve
success - really, what they induce us to accept as 'success' according
to human wisdom. What they imply is that there is much more money
out
there if only we set our minds to take it. So we frantically chase
after that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And we withdraw from
one event in the rat-race and get involved in another, becoming trapped
in a maze of distractions that eat away at our time and energy. Our tepid
concession to what should be is that for an hour or so on Sundays we seem
to leave our natural mercenary lives at the church door and put on our
unnatural
poise as God's people. But Scripture warns us that:
Lk.16:13
No domestic can be slaving for two lords, …
You can not slave for God
and
mammon.
And, when we do pray, among
the first things we ask for is that we will be able to make a success of
our lives - with God 'helping' us that little bit to make it possible.
Success? This word is not used in Scripture concerning the results
of human efforts. Every satisfactory conclusion to an endeavour is justly
ascribed to God! And the result of everything He undertakes is unqualifiedly
satisfactory!
Eph.2:10
For His achievement are we, being created in Christ Jesus for
good works,
which God makes ready
beforehand,
that we should be walking in them.
Phil.2:12,13
… with fear and trembling, be carrying your own salvation into effect,
for it is God Who
is operating in you to will as well as to work for the sake
of His delight.
Eph.1:11 …according
to the purpose of the One
Who is operating all
in accord with the counsel of His will,
We need to be in contact with
spiritual reality. We need to have clear direction. So, we have to set
our priorities right. We must focus correctly so that there is no aberration
or blurring of our objectives. We must be aligned God-wards. Scripture
emphasizes that…
1Cor.8:6
…for us there is one God, the Father, out of Whom all is, and we for
Him,…
Jas.4:4
… Are you not aware that the friendship of this world is enmity with God?
Whosoever, then should intend
to be a friend of the world is constituted an enemy of God.
1Jn.2:15-17
Be not loving the world, neither that which is in the world.
If ever anyone is loving
the world, the love of the Father is not in him,
for everything that
is in the world,
the desire of the flesh,
and the desire of the eyes, and the ostentation of living,
is not of the Father, but
is of the world.
And the world is passing
by, and its desire,
yet he who is doing the
will of God is remaining for the eon.
Col.3:1-3 If,
then, you were roused together with Christ,
be seeking that which
is above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Be disposed to that which
is above, not to that on the earth,
for you died, and
your life is hid together with Christ in God.
September 2001
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