Jesus told the story of a man with two sons. The man asked both sons to go and work in his fields. One son told his father that he would go and work, but he did not do either. The other son said that he would not go, but did go into the fields and worked. Jesus asked his listeners who had obeyed. As you would expect, the people all said that the second son obeyed by going to the fields and working.
Many people say that they are religious. They point to their church attendance and observance of religious festivals. God has a much higher standard for those who seek to know Him and walk with Him. Joshua 24:14 says, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.” A real relationship with God requires a heart of worship, along with sincere and faithful service. Lip service and infrequent attention to our faith does not make us religious. Our relationship with God needs the same focused attention and devotion, and more, that we would give our most valuable relationships. If we claim to know God and have received His many blessings, we will give Him our sincere and faithful worship and service.
However, we cannot offer sincere and faithful service to God until we have come to know Him. And we will not know Him until we trust Him with our lives. This begins with acknowledging our sinfulness and need for His forgiveness. Then we can ask Him to come into our lives and change us by the power of His Spirit. Then we are in a place where we can come into His presence with sincerity and faithfulness.
Reluctant Retiree 