Wednesday is commonly known as “hump day” (are you visualizing the camel now?). It is the middle of the work week, and that means there are only 2+ more days until the weekend! The other view is, it has been 3 days since Sunday when we gathered and worshipped our God together. So I propose that today, we make it a “Worship Wednesday”, and show our Lord through our many expressions of worship, that we love, thank and adore Him.

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:23-24

SO what does that mean, to worship in spirit and truth? This has many possible interpretations. One main thought to glean from this passage is that Jesus was speaking about Jews worshiping God in the temple, and the Samaritans worshipping on the mountain, with a day coming when people will worship in spirit rather than in a physical place. He is probably talking about our bodies being the temple of the Lord, and the Spirit dwelling in us. Thus with Jesus being the truth, and the Spirit in us, our bodies become His holy place. Jesus redeemed us, making us white as snow, and his sacrifice pleased God, enough to make us His bodily temple.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Romans 12:1

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
1 Corinthians 3:16

That being said, it is our responsibility to protect our body, our temple, by living a clean and pure lifestyle, by not allowing profane images or thoughts to enter our minds, and by not holding on to any grudges or ugly sins that would grieve Him. It is easy to forget that we have the Spirit of God in us! Yes, God’s Spirit is in us. That should amaze us, and give us pause to consider what condition our “house”, our temple, is in…

In John 16:13, Jesus said, “When the Spirit of Truth comes…” And he has come! If you know Jesus as your Lord, then the Spirit of truth is in your heart.

How can we worship the Lord when we are at work, or in school, or when cleaning our home? Did you know that everything you do is a form of worship? If you are serving the homeless, that is worship because you are doing it for the “least of these”, which is for Jesus. If you are working hard at your daily job and giving your all, then you are fulfilling your responsibility that God has given to you. That is an act of worship. If you are in school and studying for a test, that is your place of learning and growth for your future, and in giving it your all, you are worshipping. Yes, even being married and having children while raising them to love the Lord, is a form of worship, because you are fulfilling what God has called you to do.

You don’t have to be standing in your church, or singing in the choir, or on your knees to be worshipping. Those are all good. But, if we are living our life for His glory, by seeing others and their situations through Jesus’ eyes, and loving them as He does, then He is pleased, and He is being worshipped by us in spirit and in truth. It must come from the depths of our heart.

Don’t let this be said of you:
“The Lord says, ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”
Isaiah 29:13

For me, I like to start my day giving Him thanks for another day of life, for bringing us through the night and giving us rest. Throughout the day I like to sing songs of praise, or listen to them every chance I get, to keep my focus on Him. I like to lift my hands to Him as He is my Father. When I pray or worship, I picture Him on his throne, with throngs of billions around Him, all singing and cheering with raised hands (like at a concert). Sometimes though my mouth is speechless, when those moments of awe overcome me, as I realize just how awesome and holy He truly is, and yet still loves even me, and you.

As a teenager, I had to memorize this short chapter. To this day, I can remember it since it is a fabulous passage to read, say, or sing, about worshipping the Lord:
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalm 100

So let’s make this Wednesday a worship day! Better yet, let’s live it every day, and see the joy come to not only your face, but know that it is on God’s face too.

Food for thought: Worship is about giving, not getting. Don’t expect to worship on Sundays in church while all you’re doing is sitting there and taking. Give of your time, your resources, and you will be worshipping then too.

Fun facts: In Martin Luther’s book, The Freedom of the Christian, which was published in 1520, he wrote, “The very highest worship of God is this; that we ascribe to Him truthfulness, righteousness and whatever else should be ascribed to one who is trusted. On the other hand, what greater rebellion against God, what greater wickedness, what greater contempt of God is there than not believing His promise? For what is this but to make God a liar or to doubt that He is truthful—that is, to ascribe truthfulness to one’s self but lying and vanity to God.”

Original Photo by: Samuel Zeller – Children at play
Effects by: Kari Wiseman