“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 4:23-24)
“Do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5)
All Christians worship, but not all Christians worship Jesus.
When you were a little kid, would you do anything to stay up late ? I would. I would do whatever it took to stay up: go to the bathroom a million times, distract my parents when they should be noticing its past my bedtime, or bend the truth when I was asked if it was time to go to bed. I “worshiped” staying up late. To me, there was nothing greater—not the truth or how I’d feel in the morning.
That’s a decent picture for worship. Every one of us is willing to bend the truth or anything else for what’s at the center of our lives. That’s how we worship it.
As Christians, somehow we’ve lost what worship is all about. We think that just because we call ourselves Christians we are true worshipers of Christ. That’s not what Jesus says in John 4:23-24.
In John 4:23-24, Jesus basically says there are lots of worshipers in life, but God, the Father, is looking for a certain type of worshiper—one who worships Him “in spirit and truth.” Jesus longs for people who worship Him from the depths of their soul, not the mindlessness of some words on a church video screen. Worship is more than singing a Christian song or going to church. Actually, worship is the way you relate to God on a daily basis! Is “worship” the best description for the way you relate to God each day, whether at work, home, or church? It should be!
When you worship God, you bend your day to seek, savor, and serve the greatness of God first and foremost before anything else. During church, you bend your focus and your will to God through musical worship, biblical teaching, and humble prayer. During work, you worship Him by bending how you work and how you acknowledge that He is with you and those around you. At home, you worship Him by bending what you choose to talk about, watch and do.
Many people “believe” in Jesus, but they do not worship Him. Without worship, your relationship to Jesus will only be intellectual, impersonal, lonely, and legalistic. In other words, it will be wrong. With true everyday worship, your relationship with Jesus will be personal, joyful, and filled with power.
This week, each daily devotional will look at what it means to worship faithfully each day and how this “first love” action opens the door for the Holy Spirit to make Jesus first and center in your heart. But for now, prepare for this week by taking a few minutes this Sunday evening to talk to God about that one question:
Is “worship” the best description of the way you relate to God each day? Why or why not?