Devotion 4: Who do you Worship?
Caleb Jones
Sometimes it is really hard to distinguish the voice of God. We constantly have distractions right in front of our face that make it difficult to understand who God is, what He wants for us, and what decisions He wants us to make. We live in a very self-centered, “me” culture. Have you ever recalibrated yourself with social media usage? Have you stopped using it because you feel like you are on it all the time? How about your spending habits? Are you trying to keep up with the Joneses? My last name is Jones, so I live at the center of that struggle. What is in front of our eyes and what we spend our time and money on will always be what Satan uses to get us to worship him versus God. The older I get, the more I see that war in my own life. Satan is trying to call us to him by imitating good things in our lives while God is also trying to call us. In Colossians 3:2, God calls us to set our affections on Himself. He is calling us to dwell on the eternal, versus things that will fade away.
Here in Revelation, Satan is doing the same thing as he is now. In chapter 13, He is blaspheming God. He is trying to trick people that he is God because he wants to be worshiped. He wants to be the Most High (Isaiah 14). Satan will always take the form of what seems to be right in order to control someone’s soul. However, in Revelation chapter 13, God identifies him with what he truly is – a Beast. In 1 Peter 5:8, we read, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” As I think about what it means to be sober-minded, I think of someone who is lean on their thoughts. It is someone focused on the task. They are not distracted in any way, shape, or form. It is a soldier at war, waiting to fight.
So who do you worship? I “grew up going to church.” When I say grew up in it, I mean in my 38 years on Earth, I can probably count 20 times I did not attend a Sunday gathering. Does that mean I worship God? I have served the church my entire life. Does that mean that I worship God? I have given faithfully to the church my entire life. Does that mean I worship God? I even work for the church. Surely, that means that I worship God! Unfortunately, none of these mean that I worship God. Our actions will never dictate who we serve. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” My challenge for all of us is to identify who we worship. God wants our whole hearts. He wants all of us.
What is He calling you to forsake to follow Him?