A question one would raise is "Do we serve the same God? This is a crucial question, as there are numerous religions and beliefs in the world today. Many people say they worship God, yet the Bible asserts that God is known through His Word, His Will and His Son, Jesus Christ. We are not satisfied to say that we believe in God; we must find out, is the God that we believe as revealed in the Holy Scriptures?
The Bible tells us that in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” This verse reveals that it is only God. Many people use the name of God, but their teachings, worship and beliefs are contrary to what God has revealed in the bible, so that is not the way they are serving Him. God desires to be known by His truth and not man's or man's traditions.
From this I learned that service to God is not only a membership in a religion. It is about when and how to do what He says and how to live as He has taught us. In Matthew 15:9, Jesus comments, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” This brings to mind that in order for worship to be sincere it should be grounded in God's Word and not in the opinions of men. Whatever one may appear to be, prayer must be pleasing to God.
I can recall a time in my life when I was having an argument with a friend about faith. As we spoke, I realized I had a lot of divergent beliefs with him because we both believed in God. In that discussion I realized that it is not sufficient to believe in God. I felt I needed to look more closely at the Bible to understand God better and know what He expects of me. It helped me to find the truth rather than just believing what I had heard. This experience brought me closer to God and increased my commitment to find out what God wants me to do.
The other important verse is Ephesians 4:5-6, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all.” This is a teaching about God's will for unity in the truth. He is not the one that confuses. His teachings are uniform, and His followers should seek to follow the same truth that is in His Word.
I am humbled and encouraged as I consider that point. It reminds me too that I should never cease to look for God's truth. My aim is not to justify my own beliefs, but to know, and to do, what God says. I pray God to keep guiding me, to correct me when I'm in error and to help me be faithful to Him. With many voices in the world, and many beliefs, the safest way to go is to follow the Bible, and to serve the one true God with my heart, soul, and mind.