An interesting aspect of SERVING GOD is when the devil was tempting Jesus in Matthew 4. The final temptation was when Satan tempted Him with the things of this world, if Jesus would just WORSHIP him.
When Jesus answered Satan (see Matthew 4 verses 8-10 for this conversation) Jesus got angry and rebuked Satan and commanded him to be gone, but His answer to Satan went beyond WORSHIP, for He quoted Deuteronomy 6:13 (all His answers to Satan in this chapter were from Deuteronomy, so maybe that’s where Jesus had been having His quiet time that day! Yeah, He had one! See Mark 1:35) and He said to Satan “You shall WORSHIP the Lord your God and Him only shall you SERVE“. Jesus added SERVING to WORSHIP! Why did Jesus do this?
He did it to show us what true worship is like… It includes SERVING! If we are not SERVING Jesus, we are not really WORSHIPPING Him! If we SAY we WORSHIP Jesus, but are not SERVING Him, then were are not telling the truth, and in reality we are worshipping SOMETHING ELSE! Probably something in this world, things or people, just as Satan tempted Jesus with, but we’re not really worshipping Jesus! That’s why Jesus linked SERVING God to WORSHIPPING God!
If we fully realize what Jesus did for us, how He came to serve (Matthew 20:28) and how He left Heaven and came to our mess here on earth and then died on the cross for our sin, and if we really love God for all that He did for us, we won’t be able to NOT SERVE HIM! So true WORSHIP is IMPOSSIBLE without SERVING God!
Where and How should we serve Jesus? I heard someone say once “Find out what God is doing and then do that!” Well, what Jesus is doing is building only ONE THING! The CHURCH! (See Matthew 16:18) We should Serve God first of all in a Bible-believing, healthy, life-giving LOCAL CHURCH FAMILY that is helping OTHERS to find salvation and God’s victory in their life! Jesus helped you, right? And it probably happened with the help of someone serving God. So now you SERVE GOD too and help others! If you’re truly WORSHIPPING God, you should be filled with His presence and motivated to SERVE! Jesus said we would be blessed if He finds us SERVING when He returns! (Matthew 24:45-46)