Friday Family Devo: WORSHIPPING THE RIGHT WAY


Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn.

In John 4:23, Jesus tells us that true worshippers will worship God “in spirit and truth.” Here's what that means:

First, “in spirit” could mean different things: It might mean with the help of the Holy Spirit, so we're connected to God through Him when we believe and follow the Bible. Or, it could mean from our own spirit, the inside part of us that thinks and feels. This means we should worship with our whole hearts, not just by going through the motions. It might also mean with the right attitude, like being happy and sincere when we worship, not grumpy or fake. Finally, it could mean that worship isn't limited to a specific place; it can happen anywhere because God is everywhere. Since Jesus didn't specify, it’s best to say He means all of these things.

So, what does “in truth” mean? It means we worship for real, not just pretending because someone else expects it. It also means following the truth of Jesus. Jesus said He is the truth (John 14:6), so true worship follows His example and the teachings in the Bible (John 17:17).

To sum up, worshipping the right way involves doing it truly from our hearts and in line with what Jesus teaches us, which we find in the Bible.

For more stuff for families, follow my family ministry blog, jesuslovesfamilies.blogspot.com.

Discuss:

• What does it mean to worship “in spirit”? 

• How can we ensure that we are worshipping “in truth”? Discuss ways we might check our worship practices against the teachings of the Bible. 

This week, we learned about worshipping God as we should, as Jesus teaches us to do. Let’s say a special prayer to the Father and ask Him to help us always worship Him sincerely and obediently, because God is truly great, and He deserves our best worship. 

—JLP


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