DAILY DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR WESLEY June 7, 2023

Worship That Satisfies

Our ultimate fulfillment is found only in the presence of our heavenly Father.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:21-32

Did you know the Lord created you to worship Him? Many people dedicate their life to worshipping money, popularity, accomplishment, or pleasure but ultimately still feel a vacuum of unfulfillment.

King Solomon observed this longing in mankind, writing that God “set eternity in [our] heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). And hundreds of years later, Jesus Himself confirmed this truth when He said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Why, you wonder? It’s all because the Lord wants a personal relationship with us.

Unfortunately, we often indulge in sin rather than worship God, and in the first chapter of Romans, Paul surveys the many lesser gods we settle for. He wanted the Romans to know that sin and false gods distract us from our eternal calling of communion with the Father. That’s why repentance is a critical practice in the believer’s life.

Remember, our heavenly Father designed us to find satisfaction in Him alone. And because of His great love for the whole world, He doesn’t want anyone to spend eternity without Him (2 Peter 3:9).

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