John 4:19-24
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I see that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one ought to worship is in Jerusalem [at the temple].” 21 Jesus replied, “Woman, believe Me, a time is coming [when God’s kingdom comes] when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You [Samaritans] do not know what you worship; we [Jews] do know what we worship, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.24 God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
One of the things that is very clear in this passage is that God is seeking for those who will worship Him. Worship is directed to Him and only He can judge that worship. He is not just seeking people to worship Him, but those who will worship Him in the manner He has prescribed, that is in spirit and truth.
Sometimes we think that worship is about a place and we elevate some places as more sacred than others when it comes to worship, just like the Samaritan woman did. Jesus makes it clear that now that the kingdom of God is here it is neither about this place or that place because God does not look at the place of worship but rather the heart from which the worship is springing from.
Sometimes we fail to understand or we forget that worship is not about what we want or what entertains us and makes us feel good, no! Worship is about God and what He wants and that is why He has given us the prescribed way to worship Him. Worship is not about what fulfills me because it is never about me, but rather it is about what fulfill God and when it fulfills God then I the worshiper will also be fulfilled.
Worship is not about a performance or tradition, like the Samaritan woman said our “Fathers worshiped on this mountain.” Worship is about a heart that is truly surrendered to God, a heart that is truly and wholly given to Him, a heart where God comes first. A heart that is filled with God’s grace, a heart that knows that it is accepted before Him and thus there is no need to put on a performance for the sake of being accepted. A heart that is transparent and totally sold out to God.
God is still seeking for those who will worship Him in spirit and truth, have you made the choice to be one of them?
