“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.”
John 4:23-24
Jesus Himself uttered today’s verse to the woman He met at the well in Samaria after she explained “where” she worshipped God. Yet instead, in His response He explains, what “type” of worship God truly requires of us.
Some of us go to church out of rote; we simply have kept the tradition of going week after week, because it was fostered by our parents and grandparents. So, we walk in broken and unfulfilled, and we walk out cloaked the very same way. We utter pleasantries, hear the Word, then leave; and, although God may speak directly into our lives while there, we enact no change. So, what’s the point? If you are coming out the same way that you went in, with no change to your spirit or your truth, what is really the point?
In the case of the Samaritan woman at the well, God spoke directly into her life. The truth of her life was that she felt spiritually unfulfilled, ostracized, and completely unworthy. This was her truth. God already knew it; and, this truth is what He needed for her to bring to the altar. And yet, she came day after day to the wellspring thirsty and unfulfilled; worse yet, leaving God in the very same state, thirsty and unfulfilled in reference to her life.
The idea of worship in Spirit and in Truth is exactly what it says. It is the relinquishing of your Spirit to God, where you bring the issues of your existence to the altar for purging. It means bringing the truth about your feelings, fears, hopes, dreams, desires, and aches to the altar. It means that, if you walked in with a pending issue, that issue is left at the altar when you leave. We are in the midst of a new year; do you still want to do the same old thing? Do you leave Jesus at the well, thirsty for the utterance of your truth, unfulfilled with the relinquishing of your spirit? Or, are you really ready to make the necessary changes to be fully quenched in Spirit and in Truth? Like all things pertaining to God, it comes down to one decision. Do you allow Him to lead your life or not? The decision is yours alone.
There really is no middle ground –it is either yes, or no. L.
Study Reference: John 4:4-32, John 4:23-24, James 5:12
From: “In Spirit and In Truth.” In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
Photo credit: Warren Keelan
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