Why does God need to be "served", and why can't we do it from heaven?
546888
Because if we could do it from heaven the church on Earth would have no power, no wealth and no say... And we CAN'T have that, can we?!\n\nOrganised religion is the biggest fraud on the face of the planet. Believe in god and Jesus or even Leprechauns if you must, but don't expect me to put a penny into lavish churches or feeding priests, bishops, cardinals or whoever.\n\nBy forcing people to 'behave' on Earth, organised religion makes slaves.\n\nI am no slave and religion can go f*** itself if it thinks that I am going to swallow their cr4p just to keep the unemployable in jobs.
901895
ok,we can do nothing apart from God,Jesus said actually commanded us to love one another,however we cannot do this without Gods help,as for intercessory prayers that is when you feel led by the Holy Spirit to pray for someone other than yourself
752543
God only put us here to be toys of amusement for him. He enjoys watching people suffer. Just think about it for a minute...supposedly he is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-...whatever. Yet he allows this world to be infested with disease, famine, war, death, and horrors beyond imagination. Now, how can you call a god who does all these things loving and expect him to do anything for you. People who always turn to god to help them in their struggles are just trying to find someone else to fix their mistakes. They can't handle the fact that their god probably doesn't like them. God allows all these atrocities on earth to occur and doesn't lift a finger. The question you should really be asking is "Why do I worship a god that does not care?" God did not give us free will. And as far as free will in the respect to god goes, if it had not been for Satan, we would all be wandering around in complete servitude without even realizing we were slaves. By tempting Eve to eat that apple, if you believe the story, he gave us the ability to realize our slavery. Furthermore, anyone who says that we have free will given by god should examine their religion further. How can it be free will when he says that to disobey him will result in a tormenting eternity of fire and brimstone? Are these really choices...slavery or fire? I will thank God for nothing. My thanks go to the god of the underworld for giving me the knowledge to know these lies as they are.
832860
More importantly, and I suspect this is what you're getting at, why would a god who wants worship set himself up to be totally illogical and irrational? I think that if there was a god controlling it all, we'd be somehow predispositioned to believing in him, rather than having to ignore all logic and reason just to get into heaven.
767883
What are you talking about? which god with a little "g" do you serve that would do such a thing? Not the God of all Glory and Creation, Jesus Christ!
219809
If someone kills in the name of God, they have been duped.  They fell victim to irrational thinking.  The god they serve is not God the creator (the giver of LIFE), but rather the god of death (Satin).  God promotes life. "Be fruitful and multiply."  God promises everlasting life, sent Jesus to overcome death.  Why would God go through all the trouble of creating life only to have others destroy it?  Makes no sense.
452424
Serve in Heaven.  Can you think of anything great you would be "reigning" over in hell?  I can't.  I can, however, think of some great acts of service I could do in heaven.  Especially considering there would be no sickness, no hunger, no pain, no tears. I don't think this service would be like a waitress or maid.  No dog poop and beer cans on the streets of heaven!  I think you would still be serving God by glorifying Him.  If you sing, you would be singing, etc.
922950
Outstanding question.  The first three answers address God not allowing "those that don't choose Him" to enter into his presence in heaven, but it doesn't address the eternal punishment issue.  What is wrong with letting alone those who don't accept God?  Why MUST they be dropped into the lake of fire?  If we're free to decide for ourselves, but choose to live moral lives without believing in a god, why should we be punished for using our free will?\n\nAdam: "[W]ith love comes judgment[.  W]hat is seriously so difficult about this[?]  [I]f you have a kid that bad mouths you from when he can speak, leaves you abandoned as you are old and feeble, but then at your death bed says 'Hey Pops, why Ain't I in your will, Don't you love me?'"\n\nWhat about the child who just wants to live his own life, who doesn't "badmouth dear old dad," but also doesn't care about inheriting anything?  He just wants to live a moral, useful, fulfilling life on his own.  "Pops" in your scenario isn't just leaving his son nothing in the will; he's having him sentenced to hard labor in a maximum security prison for life just because his son didn't stick around the house and praise him daily like Pop wanted.
1047680
The whole issue is summed up in the holiness of God. When I was a child I was taught very strongly something  that is rarely taught in church today at all. I was taught that God was holy and He could not be in the presence of evil. That is why we cannot be in fellowship with God, because we are sinners. For us to be with God that sin must be dealt with. God declared to Adam that in the day he sinned he would die. That is a principle of life when we sin we die to God (separated from Him). Paul said it this way in Romans, the wages of sin is death. To overcome sin death must take place. When Jesus came He cam as a perfect man and completely God. When He died because he was perfect He was able to pay for  all sins with His  death. Now we can be forgiven, not because we are perfect but because the penalty is paid. All God asks of us to obtain forgiveness in faith in what He has done.
31502
The purpose of life is to serve God.
204517
Genesis 28:1-15\n\nI. Our Acute Need. You and I have an acute need, a need to be in the presence of God. There is this longing, this desire. Some people reveal their need through boredom. Some say they are bored with their marriage, but that is not the problem, they don’t need a new spouse, they need the presence of God in their life. Here are several acute desires. The desire…\n  -1. To Experience… David put this well when he said, “As a deer pants for water, so my soul pants for you. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I come and see the face of God?” There is this acute need, a restlessness to experience the presence of God. You and I have been wired on purpose by God to have fellowship, companionship with Him, to have a friendship with God, our Creator. Our first purpose is to get to know God and enjoy Him forever. God is a person, He is not an idea, or a power, or a principle. This is why Jesus called Him Father. God is a person who we are to get to know in an intimate, person to person relationship. We are different as humans from all of God’s other creation in we were made in His image which gives us the ability to have a relationship with God. We have been given the spiritual faculty to know God, cats don’t have it, dogs don’t have it, apes don’t have it, only humans, created in His image. We not only have an acute desire to experience God, but we have an acute desire…\n   -2. Not to Believe. I am not talking about our belief in God right not. Everyone believes in God, some have different names for God, but I really believe deep down everyone believes there is a God, the majority just don’t know who He is and that His name is Jesus. Here is what I am talking about, so try to follow me. I believe we have an acute desire not to believe we will not see God. There is a big difference between a person who believes in God and reads about God and studies God and the person who sees God. In the Bible we read of scribes and prophets. Do you know the difference between them? The scribes were the people who studies God and wrote about God and a prophet is someone who saw God, and there is a major difference between the two. That is why when the people saw Jesus they noticed He taught differently than the scribes, He taught with power and authority. So many of us spend out time on the edges of the perimeter but we rally never enter into looking at God. So many of us get right up to the edges, we study about God, we sing about God but we never really come to the middle to look at God. I have been asked by a few people if I could teach something deeper about God, but it is not deeper teaching that is needed. The Bible says, When the Holy Spirit comes, you will not need people to teach you these truths. The Holy Spirit will lead into truth, so it is not teaching that is needed, it is really the presence of God they are actually looking for. We also have an acute desire …\n   -3. To Life. Jacob said, surely the Lord is in this place and I didn’t see it. John 1:3 says, Here’s life. That they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. We have an acute desire to know God. It is burning within us right now. Psalm 34:8 says: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. We have an acute desire to…\n   -4. Taste and See. As David writes this in the Psalms, he is writing of experiencing God. This was not by accident Jesus picked up the bread at the Last Supper and said, This is my body, take eat… Jesus was saying that nothing, other than the presence of God, can satisfy your deepest longings or hunger. God is a lot more than just some principles or ideas you may have. Why do we come to worship, or to the communion table? We come to wake us up from our sleep to enter into the presence of God. We also have an acute desire …\n   -5. To Smell. Psalm 45:8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia… Not only does the
80907
If God didnt ever show His goodness to us we would never know to seek Him. Sometimes what brings someone to salvation is Gods good work to someone who completely doesnt deserve it. In fact thats always what it is. None of us are righteous and all who have salvation were shown the goodness of Him. Think about the drug addict who gets a secound chance, or the attempted suicidal person who finds new hope... They didnt deserve a life but God can do miracles.\n\nOn the other hand how can God let bad things happen to good people? First of all none of us deserve any better than hell for it is His divine mercy and grace that rescues. And secoundly trials make us stronger and prepare us for His kingdom.
629764
actually, God does whatever he pleases, so I think you can. \n\nIn fact, the Bible is plagued by "disturbing" episodes regarding people who ask for things that arent very honest. So I dont see a problem. God is god, he will do what he wants. And if you are religious, you will believe God has a higher plan, and "bending" the rules for you is part of that.
721251
Not that i can really claim that i speak for God but one of the functions of having a set of laws could very well be to create a necesity for reconcilation. Until there are rules to be broken its hard to really know one is screwing things up isnt it?. Until people realize they are flawed and that they fall short it is a little bit more difficult to understand why exactly we need to change from the course we are on. Also its hard to realize that there may be something different (better?) out there for us. Its hard to understand that there is a God humanity may fall short of and thusly need in their lives without a set of Laws.
340776
Many seek to do this in there own strength and usually have little or anything to show for it. If you are serious you first need to know that you can't do it. That is alone, or in your strength, or to your glory. Many want to be better out of pride or to earn there salvation only to be disappointed. The answer is in Christ. Only He can help. It starts with a new understanding:\nRomans 12:12\n I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.\n And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.\n\nWe are transformed by having our minds renewed. When we understand we cannot add to the Work of Christ we humble ourselves before Him and stop trying to earn anything.\nWhen we begin to realize the rich free sovereign grace we have in Christ (assuming you have it) we stop trying to earn anything or to exalt ourselves and we truly seek to please God even if it means we are humbled. See what John the baptist thought of Jesus:\nJohn 3:29-31 \n He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.\nIt all starts with a renewed mind and seeking first God and His kingdom. If you read almost any of the Letters in the NT you will see they generally start with truth (doctrine) and after explaining the marvelous work of Christ then they teach us how to be thankful. Read Ephesians for a good example.
1176732
ok 1st of all the way you put God 1st in ur life, is you give him all the glory for what he may have blessed u with in ur life, u also cannot worship any other kind of thing, like money, job, anything like that, and worship doesnt always mean getting down on ur knees ya know the whole bit, like a lot of people believe, its just letting it consume ur life, and your mind, that way it is always good to have quiet time everyday, and im not sure what u mean by limitations, if u mean like in some religions like catholisism (im not sure thats spelled right) they believe that the preists can only ask for peoples forgiveness from God, but really every single person can talk to God in the same way, no one is more important to God than another, if you have anymore ?'s please do not hesitate to message me, if i dont know the answer to ur problem i will find out for you and give you the best possible answer i can.
594062
God's grace is sufficient! He loves us so much that he gave His son to die for our sins...past, present, and future. We recognize that we have sinned, ask Him to come into our lives and that we want to follow him, and we are reborn! New creatures in Christ. Sometimes we waiver and take a few steps back, but when we reach out to Him, miraculous things happen! Thanks for posting article.