In Spirit & In Truth

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. 

John 4:24

I have been thinking on this verse for about a week now. Just running it through my mind. But it wasn’t until today when I read the next verse that it started to make sense. 

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

God has given us a system of checks and balances for our lives as Christians...Our spirit, His spirit, and his written word. Because our hearts are deceptive we must not allow them alone to lead us. When our heart leads, we often do what we want, what benefits us without any regard for others let alone for the Lord. Because we are all sinners, our natural bent is to sin. Therefore, we must not only worship in spirit (the inner us- feelings, thoughts, emotions, soul), but we must balance our worship with Truth! Truth is the word of God proclaimed through the life of Jesus Christ. 

Often you will hear people say, “I’ll pray about that.” And that’s all they do,until they become frustrated that God isn’t speaking to them. At that point, they become bored, discouraged, or led astray by their own thoughts. They are in a 1-way relationship.

Just as when I was meditating on this verse. I was trying to sort it out in the knowledge that I had, but it didn’t make sense until God’s truth was put with it. Without the word of God, prayer alone only results in mulling things over and trying to sort out our own thoughts. It’s not until we read/hear the word of God that we can begin to see answers and gain Godly wisdom. 

God doesn’t just plop answers into our heads or leave sticky notes on the table in response to our prayers. He designed us for fellowship with HIm and that means we need 2-way conversation. When we talk to him, petition him for answers, praise him for who he is, that’s our spirit at work. But when we read/hear his word of truth, then we begin to really fellowship because now He is speaking back to us. 

There’s a fine balance that is achieved. Too much of our spirit, and we will not hear God’s voice over the desires of our heart. If we only read God’s word and do what it says, but don’t let it reach our hearts, then we function in a legalistic manner by only “doing what is right”. Worship involves getting to know God deep within our hearts. The deeper we allow him into our lives, the greater our worship! 

In order to allow God deep within our hearts, we have to meditate over his word, be obedient out of love for him, and let him change us from the inside out. 

Read his word today. Think on it. Ask him to clarify it to you. Continue to read his word. Allow your spirit to work with His Truth! Remember, it’s a relationship. Don’t dominate the conversation!