"For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials" (Philippians 3: 3)
Beloved, We have talked at some length about the doctrines of sin and salvation. We have seen what God’s word says about where each one of us has come from and what God has done on our behalf. The question should then follow, “How do I know that all this is true for me?” Unfortunately, this question seldom crosses the minds of most people. They simply take the word of the one who lead them through the “Sinner’s prayer” and after a sincere recitation of a mystic chant, they never again contemplate whether they are truly redeemed. The child of God should continually seek out whether the truth of God’s word is being demonstrated in their day-to-day life. In essence the question of “How do I know that all this is true for me?” should not be shunned as a sign of weak faith but rather embraced as a sign of genuine commitment toward God. It’s like the old saying, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Even the business world understands that growth requires a continual reevaluation of where you stand as compared to the requirements. Why would the children of the One who has created all things, including business, expect anything less? Paul clarifies this idea when he wrote the church in Philippi. Paul says that real believers are not focused on old legalistic rites and rituals but rather true belief is found in a heart that worships the Spirit of God. Paul is describing genuine “worth-ship;” the heart condition that ascribes all glory and honor to God for His demonstration of mercy toward people who in no way deserve anything but destruction for their continual rebellion. Worth-ship that abdicates any authority that may be rightfully due it to the One who truly rules over all things and realizes that it is God who is at work in their lives; not their own efforts. Worth-ship that exalts (highlights) nothing of itself but only calls attention to the One, Jesus Christ, who gave of Himself on behalf of those who were utterly lost and unable to find their way. Worth-ship that acknowledges that God does not owe us anything but rather has given believers all things simply because of His love for them. Do you get the picture of the heart of true worth-ship? This heart is only found in the genuine child of God. It cannot be replicated or manufactured. It can only be produced by the Holy Spirit as He radically changes a person from the inside out. So many people who claim to be a believer have completely missed this. Worse yet, they are not inclined to inquire whether any of this is true in their life. They seem to be content with filling out their spiritual time card, checking things off of their spiritual “to-do” list while the whole time they really ascribe worth to themselves as opposed to worth-shipping the one, true and living God who saved them. I suppose that if salvation is found in singing really cool songs, attending really cool services with really cool people or making a really big splash with all the really cool activities we do, then most people will find themselves in heaven. Unfortunately, none of those things made it on Paul’s list. Rather, where you place your worth-ship tells the whole tale.
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