John 4:23-24(CEB)
23 But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. 24 God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.
Reflection
Don’t we always worship in spirit and truth?
We may think we are worshipping in spirit and truth but there is a reason these verses are in the Bible. There’s a big difference in worshipping in spirit and in truth and worshipping in spirit or worshipping in truth. Generally, I think many people worship in truth and not in spirit.
What’s the difference?
When we worship in truth, we become legalistic. All that matters is truth. But what about the Spirit. Exactly.
For years, I worshipped in truth, but the Spirit was far from me. I was legalistic but never considered myself legalistic. That all changed in 1990, when Charles Swindoll wrote “The Grace Awakening.” It was obviously about grace. While I accepted grace it took a while to give it to others, and myself.
Skip forward to John Chapter 8, about the woman caught in adultery. I find it said that it says nothing about the man also caught in adulty. But that’s another devo for another day. In his book Swindoll wrote, “There are always a few who prefer stoning to forgiving, who will vote for judgment rather than tolerance.”
Am I stepping on anyone’s toes—besides my own? Charles, but I call him Chuck, said grace will give us four expectations. But space is limited so I use just one. “You can expect to spend less time and energy critical of and concerned about others’ choices.”
This is what happens when we worship in Spirit and Truth, among other expectations. This alone makes grace worth it.
I’d like to say, after 25 years, that I understand grace—but not fully. I’ll keep trying until I do.
by Rick Reed
For Pondering and Prayer
Do you worship in Spirit and Truth. It makes all the difference in the world. Try it. I’m sure you will like it.
Prayer: Dear Father God, help me to fully worship you in Spirit and in Truth. Then I will know the truth and truth will set me free. Amen.
