Luke 4:8 - WORSHIP ONLY GOD

Luke 4:8

WORSHIP ONLY GOD

AMP    Jesus replied to him, “It is written and forever remains written,

‘You shall worship the Lord your God 

and serve only Him.’”

VOICE Jesus: [Get out of My face, Satan!] The Hebrew Scriptures say, “Worship and serve the Eternal One your God—only Him—

and nobody else.”

MSG    Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy:

“Worship the Lord your God 

and only the Lord your God.

Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”

Worship God only. Easy-Peasy, right? Not when you really look into it. Satan used a Greek word for worship (Strong’s 1799) meaning “bow before, in the presence or sight of” when He told Jesus that he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him. In Luke 4:8, Jesus uses a stronger Greek word for worship, prŏskanĕō (Strong’s 4352) which means “to kiss like a dog licking his master’s hand: to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): worship.” Wow! That’s a bit more than singing a few praise songs on Sunday. When we look at the versions of Luke 4:8 above, we get a fuller sense of worship as well.

• ·      Worship was not just for people during Bible times, as the Amplified version points out “it is written and remains written.” His word endures forever and is in effect forever (1 Peter 1:25).
• ·      We are to reserve our worship, our adoration, for God only.
• · We are to serve God with “absolute wholeheartedness.”

Anything or anyone we view as more deserving of our reverence, service, and praise than the Lord our God becomes an idol. We cannot worship God in a halfway manner: we need to be “all in” like the dog who bounds to the door to shower its master with affection every time he returns home as if it hasn’t seen him for a month of Sundays. God alone is deserving of our complete devotion, complete service, and complete obedience. Worship is putting the Lord first in every decision, every action, every day of our lives.

Gracious Father, enable me to worship you in spirit and in truth with every fiber of my being. May my praise rise to You not only in a “worship service” but in every moment of my day. May my life be consumed with my love for You and gratitude to You. Amen.