Today I have written a devotion in free hand, pen and paper, but as I opened the file this old one stood out to me to read. As I read it I could see how perfect it was for today. Sometimes we have to change our personal plans because God has a better one! Though it may not seem like the thing you thought you were going to do today, take time in Worship... in His Word
The following is a rewritten Word from 2012.
What is worship anyway?
You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship,
while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the
time is coming—indeed it is here now—when true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship
him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in
spirit and in truth.” John 4:22-24
This weekend I had the opportunity to enjoy true worship
with other believers at a Woman’s Breakfast. The songs that were chosen were a
little older than my church usually uses, but I still knew them all. The leader
really entered into the worship and even though a couple of times some of us
were off track with the singer/leader it did not hinder the presence of the
Lord in the room.
She named him Seth, for she said, “God has granted me
another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” When Seth grew up, he had a
son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the LORD by
name. Genesis 4:25-26
God is so awesome we should always want to stay in the
Throne Room!
In the tabernacle there was a place called the Holy of Holies
where the actual spirit of the Lord would be. We are blessed today because His
spirit follows us via the Holy Spirit once we accept Christ as our Lord and
believe in His promise of Salvation.
Then he brought them out and asked,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the
Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your
household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with
all who lived in his household. Acts 16:30-32
Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he
said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit.’ And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us
when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”
When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and
began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles
the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” Acts
11:16-18
What an advantage to be able to accept the Lord! Do not worship
the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their
gods. Rather, you must seek the LORD your God at the place of
worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his
name will be honored. Deuteronomy 12: 4-5
2 Kings 17:38-40
But the time is coming—indeed it is
here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is
Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
We need to really be worshiping Jesus in truth. This means
we need to show Him that we adore Him as well as that we respect His authority,
which is to give Him reverence.
To do this we need to do as He says in His Word. Get in
His face and spend time not just doing lip service but truly entering in, in
prayer, in song and in standing silently before the throne waiting for the Holy
Spirit to speak to your heart and mind.
Look for the directions in His Word, and then follow them.
When we do not worship Him in spirit and in truth we are
like a person who asks for directions and then goes their own way. Or when you
go out and get a GPS and just do not bother to turn it on. We can end up out in
the middle of nowhere with no one to help us find the way home.
God has given us direction in His Word and so we need to
follow the Map He has provided. Life will be much better overall, but more than
that, because peace flows in our lives
when we have been in His presence worshiping Him.
Take time this week and worship, really worship Him at
home, or on a walk. All alone, just you. Then see how much clearer you can see
the path He has laid out before you. It is much easier to find your way
when you look at the map or listen to the G.P.S.; God’s Precious Spirit!
He will provide us with the answers, the direction we are
seeking for when we just take the time to worship Him. Worship Him in Spirit
and in Truth today. Get real with God!
Honor Him with your presence, your heart and mind
included! We can honor the Lord with our mouth and forget to honor Him with our
heart and mind. We need to give Him all of us, all our attention. The more we
look to Him, the less we will notice that there are wrong turns out there to
tempt us. The more we look to Him the more our walk will be straight.
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to focus on You each day of
this week. Let the things of this earth grow dim in the light of Your presence.
In Jesus Name, amen.
Suggested Reading: Hebrews 13:1- 25,1 John 4:1-24 and
John 4:1-54,