Today’s exhortation – in spirit and in truth
Continuing on the subject of worship, The Lord Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24). In ‘spirit’ refers to a part of the human being that worships God. The bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that man is a three dimensional being made up of spirit, soul and body. Our body relates to the world around us through our five senses. Our body is world-conscious. Our soul is our self-consciousness and is where our will is. Our spirit is God-conscious. That is the part of our being that worships God. When one is born-again, it’s the spirit that is born again. In ‘truth’ means in sincerity and genuineness. No hidden agendas.
There has to be an absolute openness and honesty about the expression of our emotions. It isn’t about what we stand to gain, but what we’ve to offer to Him. In truth also refers to the truth about who God is and what He does, hence why He is worthy of worship. It must be what we really desire to do like in this verse – “My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2). “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…” Psalm 42:1-2). He is worthy of it all.
Francis Hans-Jorie