In Pursuit of Truth

Ever thought that you had it all figured out, get challenged by something & come to realize that maybe you didn't quite get it? I had 1 of those experiences yesterday. I was sitting out back grilling some ribs, doing a little reading & came to see something that I hadn't before.

Check it. The passage is John 4:23. Christ addresses the woman @ the well & says something like this...

God is Spirit. Those who worship him must do so in spirit and in a true way.

Worldwide English

or

Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth.

The Message

or

Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth.

Contemporary English Version

or

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

King James Version

I've heard this phrase used before in many different ways, but I don't think that I fully grasped the concept. The context that I got used to hearing it kinda directed me to thinking that to worship in truth is to listen to preaching, due to worshipping in spirit is to worship in song or singing.

I would venture to say that this could be & is true, but seems somewhat limiting. Guess it just goes to show how dogmatic I can be & have been. I mean, if we are to worship correctly & are to do so in spirit & in truth, versus in the pursuit of truth, we aren't truly worshipping until we all sing through choice songs & listen to a preacher.

I'm not trying to say that there is anything in the world wrong w/this. I'm trying to say that thinking this way has cheated me out of a plethora of opportunity to worship the Living God. This may just be semantics, but I don't think so.

If God's glory is being made manifest in & through His creation, the entirety of my life could be & should be worship. After this light bulb went off, it explains a lot. I've finally started to see the prove of His handiwork in places, people & things now that I never thought possible.

I feel as though I've finally come to realize that life more abundant, becoming the Glory of God in the process as St. Irenaeus would say. So this may just be semantics to some, or a rather moot point to others, but to me is has made all the difference.

Tho I had lived, I had never been alive...