John 4:23-24 NIV
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
You are a Christian. You're active in church, playing a leadership role. You teach Sunday School, and work on one of the church's committees. Or you help with the youth group. Perhaps, in your spare time, you write lyrics for a Christian musical group. You actively tithe, giving more than ten percent to the church and to other ministries. You volunteer your time to a local ministry a few hours a week. You talk about the Lord a lot, telling everyone you can about Him. You are the epitome of what the world and the church think a Christian should be.
All of these activities are important. They should be the reflection of your love and devotion to the Lord. But when you finally stand before the Lord, your heart will be exposed. So the thing you need to consider is - was this whirlwind of activity a result of your love for the Lord...? Did you really know Him? Were you walking His way? Or were you doing all these things in hopes of impressing Him, and those around you? Were you busy all your life trying to "chalk up Brownie points" with God? Or were you doing these things out of fear that if you didn't do them, God wouldn't think you loved Him?
God sees your heart. He doesn't have to wait for the judgment to know the answer to the question. This is why He tells us we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. External activity of worship and "church work" is not enough. In fact, all those "good works" - if done for the wrong reasons - are nothing but "filthy rags" to the Lord. (Isaiah 64:6) Our hearts and our spirits must be directed toward Him in order for us to give Him the true worship that He wants.
Begin today to change your focus. Forget all those "good works" if you've been doing them for the wrong reasons. Instead, get to know Jesus. truly know Him through His word. and learn to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24 NIV
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