Verse of the week -- John 4:24
Incorporating both spirit and truth, emotion and sincerity, words and deeds, duty and joy.
I have recently been challenged to the core of my being to reevaluate the depth of my faith, and the sincerity of my love. I easily wear my faith on my sleeve. It pops into my conversation continually. I talk freely of my love for God and family.
But, how deep does it go? How much do I feel the words that I so confidently speak?
Once again, God is a step ahead. Preparing the chapters in the Bible I had planned to read. Choosing the pages in books that I worked my way toward. Orchestrating the sermons my pastor brought before the congregation. It seems it was all designed just for me and this current issue I wrestle through.
In the Bible . . . I read the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus told her in John 4:24, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." People err on both ends here. Some compromise truth for too much "spirit" and others leave out the spirit and pound out the truth. We need both, in balance.
In my reading . . . in Satisfy my Thirsty Soul, Linda Dillow challenges our personal worship experience. We need to take that time to worship, to praise Him, to completely open our hearts to Him, for our spirit to join as one with Him (I Corinthians 6:17). My worship sometimes lacks passion, emotion, depth. It is often more of an intellectual experience than a moving, spiritual one. I am seeking balance in this area.
In my church . . . we have looked at love and how it must grow in our lives. If I am a follower of God, love will flow naturally from the core of my being. As selfless love takes control of my thoughts and actions, His Spirit will overflow driving me to praise and action. Love is complex. It is action, duty, consistency, but also passion, depth, emotion, sacrifice. I need to seek the whole package in my life. I have just started a study of the Fruit of the Spirit with my kids, so this will continue to come up through our Bible time. We will read through I John together this week.
Some fall easily into too much Spirit, not checked with truth. We need both in our worship of God. We must have solid doctrine, a clear and growing understanding of who He is, and also a passion, hunger and thirst that drives us to Him constantly with an overflowing heart.
I have some more thoughts on how that will work in my life in the weeks to come, but that will have to wait. For now, I mull over His words . . . Spirit and Truth.
I have recently been challenged to the core of my being to reevaluate the depth of my faith, and the sincerity of my love. I easily wear my faith on my sleeve. It pops into my conversation continually. I talk freely of my love for God and family.
But, how deep does it go? How much do I feel the words that I so confidently speak?
Once again, God is a step ahead. Preparing the chapters in the Bible I had planned to read. Choosing the pages in books that I worked my way toward. Orchestrating the sermons my pastor brought before the congregation. It seems it was all designed just for me and this current issue I wrestle through.
In the Bible . . . I read the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus told her in John 4:24, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." People err on both ends here. Some compromise truth for too much "spirit" and others leave out the spirit and pound out the truth. We need both, in balance.
In my reading . . . in Satisfy my Thirsty Soul, Linda Dillow challenges our personal worship experience. We need to take that time to worship, to praise Him, to completely open our hearts to Him, for our spirit to join as one with Him (I Corinthians 6:17). My worship sometimes lacks passion, emotion, depth. It is often more of an intellectual experience than a moving, spiritual one. I am seeking balance in this area.
In my church . . . we have looked at love and how it must grow in our lives. If I am a follower of God, love will flow naturally from the core of my being. As selfless love takes control of my thoughts and actions, His Spirit will overflow driving me to praise and action. Love is complex. It is action, duty, consistency, but also passion, depth, emotion, sacrifice. I need to seek the whole package in my life. I have just started a study of the Fruit of the Spirit with my kids, so this will continue to come up through our Bible time. We will read through I John together this week.
Some fall easily into too much Spirit, not checked with truth. We need both in our worship of God. We must have solid doctrine, a clear and growing understanding of who He is, and also a passion, hunger and thirst that drives us to Him constantly with an overflowing heart.
I have some more thoughts on how that will work in my life in the weeks to come, but that will have to wait. For now, I mull over His words . . . Spirit and Truth.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
~John 4:24~
~John 4:24~
Comments
You have your finger on the pulse: True worshippers, who worship in spirit and in the truth (Jn. 4:21-24); This is why we MUST be born again, so that we could be in spirit (3:7-6); For we MUST worship in spirit (4:24); The flesh is not profitable, the words that Jesus spoke where all about being in spirit (6:63).
NOW that Jesus has ascended up to where He was before (Jn. 6:62), it is added that we need to come unto Him (6:65); Remember only those who are in spirit can be quickened (6:63); We need to be quickened, otherwise we are dead in trespasses a sins (Eph. 2:1); Wherein we are in the lusts of the flesh, because we are into fulfilling the desires of the flesh (2:3); We can only be quickened with Christ by grace, so that we would be saved (2:5); This is why we need to be raised up (in spirit); and made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places (2:6); For by grace through faith in this gift of God’s workmanship, in heavenly places, we are created in Christ Jesus (2:8 & 10 with 6).
This is why we need to have fellowship with this mystery of how to be created by Jesus in God (Eph. 3:9); This grace speaks of the effective working of His power, which is according to this gift (3:8-7); This is in Christ and by the gospel (3:6); Herein we are the partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel (3:6); Which is to come into the riches of His glory, so that Christ could dwell in us; and we could be rooted and grounded in love (3:16-17); This is why heavenly places needs to be known by the church, if we are going to have this promise (3:10-11); For all spiritual blessings from God toward us come upon us in heavenly places in Christ (1:3).
I am amazed at how soon this grace is removed from the gospel of Christ, so that we could not be by the grace of God in Christ (Gal. 1:6 & 15); wherein the grace of God is frustrated, because believers are not with Christ by the faith of the Son of God, so that they could live unto God (2:21-19); Some foolish bewitching has believers in disobedience to the truth, so that they are into being made perfect/loving by the flesh (3:1-3 cf. Col. 3:14); Believers would rather be under some law than to be free (4:5 & 22); We need to be made free by Christ, if we are going to have liberty (5:1); Which liberty is to love (5:13); Only those who are in the fair show in the flesh are not into this rule (6:12 & 16); Justification by this grace to love is the offence of the Cross (5:4 & 6 & 11).
When I said you have your finger on the pulse, the pulse is justification by the faith of Christ (Gal. 2:16); Meaning;- justification by faith (3:24); Wherein we have to come from our faith to Christ faith, if we are going to live by faith (Rom. 1:8 & 5 & 17); This is why I desire to impart this spiritual gift unto you, so that you might be established in the faith (1:11-12).
NOW, that I have given you but a small look into this spiritual blessing of God in Christ, the question is: Are you going to open up a line of communication between us, so that you might have the fullness of this blessed truth of how to be in spirit to live unto God by Christ for love?
Sincerely your brother Philip
gracefortoday@cox.net