Webster defines religion as “the service and worship of God.”  As followers of Jesus Christ, serving and worshiping God should be what characterizes our lives.  Paul once said, “For to me to live is Christ…”  That was his religion, and it should be ours too.  There are a lot of religious people in the world; however, most people are religiously wrong.  This is true, not just from a doctrinal standpoint, but even from the standpoint of living.

Some are religiously wrong because their religion is not really their own.  They attend a particular church or believe a particular doctrine because their parents, spouse, or some other people they are close to do.

Our religion must be personal.  It is my responsibility to serve and worship God according to His Word.  Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship”  (John 4:24).  To worship God in truth is to worship Him according to God’s Word (John 17:17).  Worshipping God according to man’s doctrine is the fastest way for our service to God to be rejected by Him.

Speaking of the Pharisees, Jesus said, “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).  When it comes to worship, how we do it must be a personal decision based on what God has commanded us to do.  Determine for yourself how you will worship God.  Make sure that, however you do it, and whatever you do, it is based on the Word of God.

We should also make sure that our worship is not only according to the truth, but also from our hearts.  You must be personally invested in every act of worship in which you engage.  To worship God in spirit is to worship Him from the heart, with the right attitude.  Paul said that our worship must be spiritual (Romans 12:1).

Vine’s Expository Dictionary says that the word spiritual means that our service to God must “be intelligent, in contrast to those offered by ritual and compulsion.”  This is at the center of having a personal religion.  Whatever we do must come from the heart.

Our service must be personally carried out by us for ourselves.  “For each will have to bear his own load” (Galatians 6:5). The word load refers to “a task or service” (Strong).  There are some things that we must do for ourselves.

One act of worship we are commanded to do is to give financially to the cause of Christ (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).  You do not get credit for someone else’s giving.  You must do that yourself.

We are commanded to sing praises to God when we come together to worship Him (Ephesians 5:19).  You cannot sit in an auditorium and listen to the beautiful voices around you; you must open your mouth and sing.  We are not commanded to listen to singing, we are commanded to sing.

Another commandment we all have is to preach the gospel to the lost.  Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).  No one can go for you.  You must go yourself.  Maybe you are a member of a local church that is very active in preaching the gospel to the lost.  That is wonderful, but if you are not participating in it yourself, the actions of others are not going to help you when you give an account of yourself before God.

I think you get the point.  Our religion, that is, our service to and worship of God, is personal.   Paul said, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.