Is Lip Service a Big Deal to God?

A person who is not a Christian once challenged me and asked why believers talk about God’s love but never His wrath. I thought about his question and realized that I, too, am guilty of this very thing. Think about all the wonderful ways we look at God’s love, gentleness, and favor. Today, however, let’s consider the context in which God’s actions are described as wondrously marvelous in reference to His judgment on people who claim His name, but simply give lip service to Him.

God uses the prophet Isaiah to call these people out in Isaiah 29:13-14. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous.'” He goes on to warn them of the consequences of their lip service and rote worship.

We might want to relegate our Creator’s wrath to the Old Testament, but Revelation 16 speaks of God’s judgment being poured out in a future day. We may wonder, “Is mankind’s behavior and sincerity of worship a big deal to God?” The answer is, “yes.”

Lord, You alone are worthy of our praise. You extend mercy to those who call on Your name but are WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS in Your discipline toward those who give You lip service and rote worship. Forgive us and prompt us daily to live by Your Spirit.

One of the ways we can avoid giving lip service to God is by listening to and being led by His Spirit. If you’d like to learn more, listen to this free podcast teaching: Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.

 

bible gateway logo

Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *