Trust, Worship, and Service on the Pilgrimage

Sep 20, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Results Reveal Where We Place Our Trust

The parable of the taxi driver and pastor at heaven’s gates exposes how easily we confuse busyness with faithfulness. True trust isn’t measured by titles or effort but by surrendered dependence on God. Like the pastor who relied on his resume, we often cling to achievements, ministry activity, or moral performance to feel secure. Yet God sees the heart’s posture: do we lean on our own “cotton robes” of self-sufficiency or his unshakable grace? Trusting him means releasing control, even when the road feels erratic. [25:39]

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
(Matthew 25:21, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you substituted spiritual busyness for authentic trust in God? What “cotton robe” do you need to lay down to receive his grace today?

Day 2: Looking Higher Than the Mountains We Idolize

Mountains like Kinabalu inspire awe, yet even good gifts—careers, savings, relationships—become idols when we fix our gaze on them. The psalmist redirects our eyes beyond creation to the Creator. Trusting God first doesn’t negate practical steps but reorders them: praying before planning, seeking his voice before consulting ChatGPT, worshiping before worrying. Like Sabahans glimpsing the summit through clouds, we train our hearts to see the Maker behind the made. True security starts when we look higher than what our hands can hold. [30:10]

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
(Psalm 121:1-2, NIV)

Reflection: What “mountain” have you been staring at this week? How might pausing to look higher change your next decision or conversation?

Day 3: Worship as a Gift, Not a Consumer Review

Consumer faith asks, “Did I like the music? Did I feel something?” Discipleship asks, “Did God receive my offering?” Worship isn’t a performance for our comfort but a sacrifice of praise to the One who needs nothing yet delights in our presence. New songs, old hymns, or silent tears—every expression becomes a mirror: are we curating an experience or pouring out love? Like David’s musicians playing for an audience of One, we worship not to extract blessings but to declare, “You’re worth it.” [37:18]

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
(John 4:23-24, NIV)

Reflection: When have you critiqued worship instead of offering it? What would it look like to sing, pray, or serve today as a gift to God alone?

Day 4: Serving God by Stopping to Serve Others

Jesus washed feet not to launch a program but to model a posture: serving isn’t a role but a reflex of humility. The dying woman’s cry, “I just want to serve God!” redefines service as privilege, not obligation. Whether preparing meals, listening to a coworker, or folding laundry, small acts become sacred when done for him. We don’t need platforms—only willing hands and knees bent low. Serving others isn’t a distraction from spiritual growth; it’s the path. [40:33]

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
(John 13:14-15, NIV)

Reflection: Where has pride whispered, “This task is beneath me”? What ordinary act could you reframe as worship this week?

Day 5: The Pilgrimage of Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Faith isn’t a sprint to heaven but a daily walk where trust, worship, and service become rhythms. Like pilgrims ascending Jerusalem, we’ll stumble, offend, and need forgiveness—but the road itself shapes us. Perseverance isn’t glamorous, but each step of choosing God over idols, others over self, and faithfulness over results etches Christ’s character deeper. The summit matters, but so does the soil under our feet: will we keep walking when the mountain stays hidden? [27:17]

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:13-14, NIV)

Reflection: What part of your pilgrimage feels weary or unremarkable? How can you embrace this stretch of the journey as holy ground?

Sermon Summary

Christian faith is not just a ticket to heaven and a wait for death. The pilgrimage of following Jesus is a lifelong journey, a long obedience in the same direction, where the Holy Spirit forms people to become more like Jesus. This path happens with God and with others, through loving and being loved, encouraging and being encouraged, offending and being offended, forgiving and being forgiven.

Psalm 121 calls pilgrims to lift their eyes above the mountains. The mountains are majestic, mysterious, and full of awe, but they cannot be the source of help. God made heaven, earth, and mountains, so help comes from the Creator, not from creation. The hilltop shrines of Israel’s day tempted people to trust protections, spells, fertility, and whatever made them feel safe. The mountains of today may hold intelligence, ability, youth, beauty, strength, jobs, savings, property, achievements, relationships, medical technology, and worldly knowledge. These things are good gifts from God, but they become a problem when trust stops there.

Trust looks higher before checking the spreadsheet, calling the financial consultant, making the doctor’s appointment, searching Google, asking ChatGPT, or even talking with family. God does not call people to ignore practical help. God calls people to talk to him first. Psalm 121 grounds this trust in the truth that God is good, not in a fake-it-till-you-make-it kind of confidence.

Worship also calls for looking higher. Consumerism can wear contemporary clothes or traditional clothes because consumerism is not an aesthetic but a posture of the heart. Consumerism asks whether the music, preaching, programs, politics, and comfort suit personal preferences. Discipleship asks where service is needed, who needs love, where growth is needed, which preferences must be surrendered, and where Jesus is calling someone to die to self. Worship is not a gift to people but a gift to God. God is not being evaluated by whether people felt something. Worship asks whether God received a people who were present before him, giving with no strings attached because he is worthy.

Psalm 123 turns worship into service. Service is a privilege, especially in light of God’s grace and mercy. Christ, though Lord and Teacher, took the towel and washed his disciples’ feet. Service looks up to God to please him and stoops down in humility to serve others. God receives service offered in church teams, community care, homes, workplaces, and ordinary acts of love. The pilgrimage keeps asking: Is trust looking higher? Is worship centered on God? Is service responding to mercy?

Key Takeaways

1. Look higher than created help. Trust does not deny the value of money, medicine, wisdom, relationships, or practical planning. Trust refuses to make good gifts carry the weight that belongs only to God. God invites his people to seek him first, before reaching for every other source of security. [33:20]
2. Consumerism is a posture of heart. Consumerism can thrive with guitars, organs, lights, hymnals, coffee, or pews. Discipleship begins when personal preferences stop being the measure of church life. Christ calls his people to ask where they can serve, love, grow, surrender, and carry burdens. [35:25]
3. Worship is for God, not self. Worship may bring comfort, joy, and a deep awareness of God’s presence, but those blessings are not the reason for worship. God is worthy whether feelings are strong or absent. Worship becomes freer when it is given to God with no strings attached. [37:56]
4. Service responds to received mercy. Service is not merely religious duty or filling a roster. God’s mercy creates in his people the desire to please him by stooping low for others. Christ’s towel and basin show that humble service is the shape of true greatness.

## [40:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:56] - A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
[28:16] - Psalm 121 and Looking Higher
[28:41] - Mount Kinabalu and the Mountains
[30:10] - Help Comes from the Creator
[31:07] - Trusting Creation Instead of God
[32:03] - The Mountains of Modern Life
[33:20] - Talk to God First
[35:08] - Discipleship Versus Consumerism
[37:18] - Worship Is a Gift to God
[39:18] - Psalm 123 and the Privilege of Service
[40:33] - Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
[41:27] - Serving God by Serving Others
[42:57] - Trust, Worship, and Service

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 121

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?” [30:15]
“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” [30:22]
“He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber;” [34:24]
“Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” [30:53]
“The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand;” [30:53]
“The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.” [30:53]
“The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;” [30:53]
“The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” [30:53]

Psalm 123

“I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven.” [40:13]
“As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.” [40:15]
“Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt.” [40:25]
“We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud.” [40:25]

John 13:3–5, 14–15

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;” [40:51]
“So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.” [41:01]
“After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” [41:07]
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” [41:19]
“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” [41:27]

Observation questions

In Psalm 121, what words and images describe God’s care for his people, especially in verses 3–8?
What kinds of “mountains” or created sources of security are named, and how are they described—as bad things or as good gifts that can be wrongly trusted? [32:21]
What questions mark a consumer posture toward church, and what different questions mark a disciple’s posture? [35:47]
In John 13, what did Jesus know about himself before he took up the towel and washed the disciples’ feet? [40:51]

Interpretation questions

Psalm 121 says that help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth. What is the difference between wisely using created gifts, such as medicine, savings, counsel, or technology, and treating those gifts as the ultimate source of help? [34:04]
Psalm 123 pictures God’s people looking to him for mercy like servants watching the hand of a master. What does this image show about humility, dependence, and readiness to obey God?
If worship is offered to God rather than evaluated by personal preferences or feelings, how might that reshape the way a believer responds when the music, style, or experience is not personally enjoyable? [38:28]
Jesus’ secure identity as the One who came from God and was returning to God led him to serve. How can confidence in God’s love and mercy free a believer to serve without needing recognition or repayment? [40:51]

Application questions

When a financial, health, family, work, or personal concern arises, what is usually the first place you turn? What could it look like for you to speak with God before opening the spreadsheet, searching online, calling someone, or making a plan? [33:22]
Which good gift is most tempting for you to trust as though it can ultimately keep you secure—ability, income, health, relationships, knowledge, savings, or something else? How can you receive that gift with gratitude while looking higher to God? [32:51]
During gathered worship, what preferences or expectations most easily become the focus for you? How might you come prepared to offer yourself to God with no strings attached, whether your feelings are strong or weak? [38:45]
Where might you be approaching church more like a consumer than a disciple? Which discipleship question do you most need to ask right now: “Where can I serve?”, “Who can I love?”, “Where do I need to grow?”, or “What preference do I need to surrender?” [36:14]
Jesus served by taking the lowest place and washing feet. What is one ordinary, unseen, or inconvenient way you could serve someone in your home, workplace, church, or neighbourhood this week? [41:32]
Service is a response to God’s mercy, not merely a duty to fill a need. How does remembering God’s grace change your attitude when you feel tired, overlooked, or reluctant to serve? [40:30]

Sermon Clips

47s

#PrayFirst

“Before you check-in with Google or ChatGPT, look higher. Talk to God first. I hear giggles because I think a lot we we go to ChatGPT first these days. Hey, AI. Before we even talk to our family, look higher. Talk to God first. not saying don't do these things. Okay? I'm saying talk to God first. That's looking up to God who made the heaven, earth, and mountains. That's looking higher. That's trusting the creator instead of creation.”

69s

#WorshipGodAlone

“Another thing to watch out is that when we worship God, you see, through our songs, our offerings, and gifts, because God is good, he blesses us, he holds us, we experience But sometimes, our focus becomes the blessings we get when we worship him. The good feelings we get, the comfort we get in his presence. That's why we want to worship him. Sometimes people say, I I didn't like the worship today. I didn't feel God. But worship is not for us. It's not for us to feel God. Yes, we often do feel him when we worship, but that's not why we worship him. The better question to ask is this, did God like the worship today? Did he feel us? Did he feel our presence? Were we present?”

41s

#FaithJourney

“Now often when we think about Christian faith, we think about the pearly gates, we think about Saint Peter, it could be someone else there, I don't know. But our Christian faith is not just a ticket to heaven. Say yes to Jesus and you go to heaven when you die. We'll just wait till we die. Our Christian faith is a life long journey of following Jesus. It's a pilgrimage. It is a long obedience in the same direction.”

50s

#SeekGodFirst

“They're gifts from God to us. However, many times that's where we stop. They're on our mountains. That's where we stop. When we stop there, we are trusting creation instead of the creator. Can I encourage you to look higher? Much higher than all those things. Before you check your budget spreadsheet or talk to your financial consultant, look higher, talk to God first. Before you make a doctor's appointment, look higher. Talk to God first.”

34s

#GodIsMyStrength

“You know, for us, Sabahans, to look up at our mountain, it does give us a sense of awe and hope. But in this Psalm, the psalmist is encouraging us to look higher. Does my strength come from the mountains? No. Look higher. My strength comes from God who made heaven and earth and the tallest mountains.”

51s

#WorshipNotAboutMe

“Wow, I read that and I felt slapped. Sometimes during worship, when they introduce a new song, I think, I don't like that song. And then, I remember, it's a good thing they're not singing to me. They're singing to God. One of God's kids wrote that song for him. I bet he likes it. Worship is not about us. It's not a gift to us. It's a gift to God. David appointed singers and musicians to play nonstop music to God, not for people.”

57s

#WalkWithJesus

“On this pilgrimage, we walk with God and the Holy Spirit forms us to become more like Jesus. On this pilgrimage, we walk with others as we love and be loved, as we encourage and be encouraged, as we offend and be offended, as we forgive and be forgiven. And in that process, we become more like Jesus. On this pilgrimage are essential elements. Today, we want to look at three crucial elements to stay on this path of long obedience as we learn from the songs of ascents by the pilgrims in the bible when they were going to Jerusalem three times a year.”

62s

#CreatorOverCreation

“We may think, oh, we don't do that. We don't look to shrines and sacred prostitutes. We don't go to nostrums and protection spells and enchantments. Yeah. However, the mountains we look to have other things on them. Right? They have other created things. Our intelligence, our ability, our youth, our beauty, our strength, our job, our income, our superannuation, our savings, our properties, our achievements, our connections and relationships, medical technology, the knowledge and wisdom of the world. None of these things are bad. They are good.”

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