WORSHIP

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).

 

Jesus says that we are to worship the Father in spirit and truth.  We understand the truth--it is a right understanding of all that God is and all that God wills as revealed through Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6).  Spirit is a bit more shadowy.  It has to do with your soul, your whole being, your passion.  If truth deals with facts, then spirit deals with feelings.  We are to worship with our mind AND with our emotions, with our liturgy AND with our love, with our head AND with our heart.

 

Today, the Father is seeking your worship.  As often as you eat and drink, remember Him...

WORSHIP

"You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22)

 

What is the source of your salvation?  And by salvation, I mean "deliverance" or "rescue".  What, or who, do you look to in order to have your needs met?  Go ahead and think of something . . . job, family, relationship, finances, etc.  Here is why it matters: The source of your salvation happens also to be the focus of your worship!  We naturally give honor and priority to whatever it is that we believe is providing for our security and our happiness.  Another way to gauge the object of worship is to consider the source of potential despair?  What would devastate you if you were to lose it?  Anything or anyone that can cause despair in our hearts is an object of worship.  Jesus says, that we worship what we do not know.  In other words we ignorantly worship unreliable gods.  In reality, salvation is from the Jews.  It is gift-wrapped in a Jewish body.  Salvation is Jesus!

 

Today, let's consciously choose to worship Jesus.  Let's move our allegiance from the fragile to the firm--from the unreliable to the undeniable!

WORSHIP

"'Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.'  Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountian nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father'" (John 4:20-21).

 

It's consistent throughout history for men to dedicate "places" to worship God.  There is nothing wrong with that as long as we remember that God is too big to fit in our building and that "our place" isn't any better than "their place".  Acts 7:48 declares, "The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands."  1 Corinthians 7:19  reveals the kind of house that God lives in, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?"  God does not live in man-made houses.  He lives in God-made houses--human houses.  That means, as Jesus said, you don't have to go to a mountain to worship--you can worship God wherever you are--because where you are is where He is!

 

Take a moment right now and close your eyes.  Block out every thought except for thoughts of God's love for you.  Feel his love for you.  Allow Him to completely fill you with His love. Just rest in the warmth of His love.  Spend some time this morning surrounded by God's love.  You just might find yourself worshipping...

TRUTH

"My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20).

 

We are to be in the "truth-telling" business with our goal being to turn our friends and family back to the truth from which they have strayed.  It's a bit tricky since, in my experience, no one really likes hearing the truth.  I know that I don't.  At least I don't like having my faults pointed out.  You likely don't like it either.  With that in mind, it is essential to keep the purpose of truth-telling squarely in front of us.

 

T-urn: A complete change of direction.

R-estore: A renewal of purpose and position.

U-nlease: A return to true freedom.

T-ouch: A relational closeness.

H-eal: A renewed strength.

 

Today, may we use "truth-telling" not just as a neccessary means of rebuking wrong--but also as a merciful gift of restoring right!

TRUTH

" . . . But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:15).

 

It's difficult to speak, "the truth in love".  We tend to either speak the truth without love or else we speak love without sharing the truth.  God's plan is that we saturate our truth-telling in an ocean of love.  In the old days, when I was young, my mom would put sugar in my medicine in order to make it easier to take.  It helped!  My counselor taught me that to "speak the truth in love" means to own the impact of what I say.  It is to empathize with the one I'm speaking to--to feel what they are feeling.  We are to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth--but we are to do so lovingly.  Remember that it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

 

Today, let's check our motives before we speak.  Is it love?  Or is it something else?  And while we're at it, maybe we can practice hearing the truth in love as well.

NEEDS

"If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water" (John 4:10).

 

I wonder how many times that I have missed the gift of God because the gift is asking ME for a drink.  I just don't expect God's gift (Jesus) to come that way--as someone else's need.  It's easy to get preoccupied with our problems and to miss the answer to our problems gift wrapped as someone else's problem.  Perhaps when we meet needs, Jesus becomes ALL that we need.

 

Today, let's focus on giving drinks to the thirsty.  We just might find our own thirst being quenched.

BARRIERS

"Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, 'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?' (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans)" (John 4:9).

Nevermind that Jesus is thirsty, He is breaking two really big Jewish cultural norms in talking to the Samaritan woman.  #1--She is a Samaritan and #2--She is a woman.  Read the Gospels and you will see that Jesus fearlessly and regularly walks through barriers of every kind.  He puts relationships ahead of religion and people ahead of propriety.

Today, let's join Jesus in moving beyond our zones of comfort into the hearts of men and women.

ALONE

"For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food" (John 4:8).

 

It's noteworthy that all twelve disciples went on the food run.  Seems odd doesn't it?  No one stayed with Jesus?  How many times have you felt all alone because your friends were too busy?  We've all been there--even Jesus.

 

Today, look for those who are all alone--whose friends may be off buying food.  Give them some time, give them some love, give them some life.

THIRSTY

"There came a woman of Samaria to draw water.  Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink.'" (John 4:7)

 

You will become thirsty today . . . and so will I.  There are many different ways that our thirst will show itself: physically, emotionally, financially, relationally, etc.  We will have needs today.  The temptation will be to attempt to quench our thirst in the way that we always have--by getting a drink of water from the well (the well being whatever we use to deaden the pain and cope).  However, Jesus points us in a different direction.  He points us to the stream of living water.  He points us to Himself.

 

Today, when you find yourself hurting and in need, Ask Jesus to meet you where you are.  Invite Him into your situation and allow Him the space to work.

BAPTIZE

" . . . although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were" (John 4:2).


It's interesting that baptism is important enough that Jesus teaches His disciples to do it and yet it is not so important as to require Him to personally baptize anyone. The Bible does not teach that baptism is essential for salvation but rather that it is essential for obedience. Jesus' death on the cross establishes our salvation--our baptism symbolizes our acceptance and participation in Jesus' sacrifice. It is a first step of obedience in following Jesus. Jesus Himself was baptized by John, setting the example for all who would follow. Jesus' final words to us in Matthew's gospel include the command to, "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:18-20).


Soon, we will gather as a church family and baptize all who would desire it. If you have not yet been baptized as an adult, give it some thought and some prayer. Let's do what Jesus did!

SUCCESS

"Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John . . . " (John 4:1).
Comparison leads to conflict.  Pastors and churches can quickly fall into the trap of determining their success by making comparison to other ministries.  Jesus avoided the trap by removing Himself from the situation.  We saw this in John 3:25-30 where John's disciples were concerned about Jesus' growing ministry while their own was declining in comparison. John's response was, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven" (John 3:27).  Good advice for us today when we are tempted to determine our value by looking around at others.  Our value comes from the Father--not by how much farther along we are than others--nor by how much farther behind we might be.

Today, remember that you are completely loved by God and that He values you as one His greatest passions.  No need to compare today--just enjoy your place in the Kingdom of God.