Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Worship the Lord in Truth and Spirit
Lali B. Joseph
St. John's MTC, NY
7 The
Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of
the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8 they have been quick to turn aside
from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a
calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your
gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’”
Even though the Israelites had been freed by the Lord in the land of Egypt, their thoughts were still filled with Egyptian idol worship and its culture. This reflection is seen when Moses went up Mount Sinai to talk with God, and the Israelites did not know what had happened to Moses. They had forgotten how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt, and they immediately started to worship idols. God had clearly stated, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heaven above, or on the earth, or in the waters below. You shall not bow to them or worship them.”(Exodus 20:4)
When we look back at our lives, it is the good Lord who rescued us in our troubles. He never leaves us alone. He wiped away all of our tears. We may also face God’s silence, but what is our response? Today’s theme is worship the Lord in truth and spirit. What is worship? Worship is the expression of gratitude by human beings for all the grace and mercy God has shown us. He may be silent, but our attitude is really what matters. When we realize that God’s love is merciful and graceful, he forgives our iniquities, transgressions and sin. Knowing Him is worship. The Son knew to worship the Father. He spent time during the early morning with His father in prayer, in the wilderness and on the mountain too.
Real worship is in spirit and truth. Jesus told the woman of Samaria, “God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Jesus teaches us that God should be worshiped in spirit and truth. What is truth? Truth is permanent and eternal. Many things in this world are perishable, but God’s love is everlasting and that is the ultimate truth. If we are fully aware of this truth, our worship changes itself wholeheartedly. Through worship we glorify His name.
What is worship in Spirit? Apostle Paul says, “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5). We all know that the love and mercy of God revealed through His son Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have an eternal life” (John 3:16). Since God is Spirit we should worship God in Spirit.
Worship leads us to witnessing. Jesus revealed Himself to the woman of Samaria. At that very moment, she left everything and ran out to the city of Samaria to proclaim about the Messiah. We are called to be witnesses of Christ. She understood the truth and it was revealed to her. Real worship must be in spirit and in truth. We worship the true God, but often we fail to accept much of his revelation. The Holy Spirit can help us do that. We worship the unseen God through the visible Son. The eternal truth is that God is love was fully revealed through his Son, whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Even though the Israelites had been freed by the Lord in the land of Egypt, their thoughts were still filled with Egyptian idol worship and its culture. This reflection is seen when Moses went up Mount Sinai to talk with God, and the Israelites did not know what had happened to Moses. They had forgotten how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt, and they immediately started to worship idols. God had clearly stated, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heaven above, or on the earth, or in the waters below. You shall not bow to them or worship them.”(Exodus 20:4)
When we look back at our lives, it is the good Lord who rescued us in our troubles. He never leaves us alone. He wiped away all of our tears. We may also face God’s silence, but what is our response? Today’s theme is worship the Lord in truth and spirit. What is worship? Worship is the expression of gratitude by human beings for all the grace and mercy God has shown us. He may be silent, but our attitude is really what matters. When we realize that God’s love is merciful and graceful, he forgives our iniquities, transgressions and sin. Knowing Him is worship. The Son knew to worship the Father. He spent time during the early morning with His father in prayer, in the wilderness and on the mountain too.
Real worship is in spirit and truth. Jesus told the woman of Samaria, “God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Jesus teaches us that God should be worshiped in spirit and truth. What is truth? Truth is permanent and eternal. Many things in this world are perishable, but God’s love is everlasting and that is the ultimate truth. If we are fully aware of this truth, our worship changes itself wholeheartedly. Through worship we glorify His name.
What is worship in Spirit? Apostle Paul says, “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5). We all know that the love and mercy of God revealed through His son Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have an eternal life” (John 3:16). Since God is Spirit we should worship God in Spirit.
Worship leads us to witnessing. Jesus revealed Himself to the woman of Samaria. At that very moment, she left everything and ran out to the city of Samaria to proclaim about the Messiah. We are called to be witnesses of Christ. She understood the truth and it was revealed to her. Real worship must be in spirit and in truth. We worship the true God, but often we fail to accept much of his revelation. The Holy Spirit can help us do that. We worship the unseen God through the visible Son. The eternal truth is that God is love was fully revealed through his Son, whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
PRAYER
O God Almighty help us to remember worship the Lord
in spirit and in truth, O Lord help us not to yield to temptation and bow
before other worldly pleasures. Thank you Lord for your gift of salvation
through your son Jesus Christ. God help us to fulfill our calling to be a good
a witness for your kingdom. Amen
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
The purest form of worship is when we can come before the Lord as we are and praise him in any circumstance.
The purest form of worship is when we can come before the Lord as we are and praise him in any circumstance.