John 4:24 English Standard Version (ESV) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus rarely invokes the must clause. This is one that is important.

How can we worship in spirit and truth?

When thinking about this, try to remember what Jesus said to the rich man that asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?”

First cleanse our hearts of idol worship. In that man’s case, love of money.

God’s first commandment was that He would not take second place to any other god. A god with the little g is what we love more than God Himself.

Isaiah 44:14-16 English Standard Version

14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!”

We become satisfied with our own achievements and the effort itself becomes our god. It is the root of pride. “Look what I created!”

We might not look at it that way but that is how God sees it. Whatever bush we burn is consumed, not so with God.

Worshiping God in spirit and truth warms our hearts because the Word abides in our hearts and His Word will not depart from us.

Genesis 4:7 English Standard Version (ESV) If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

The first “must” is when God told Cain that he must get a handle on sin or it would control him.

Then Cain killed his brother.

Proverbs 3:5-6 English Standard Version

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Authors that use other resources acknowledge quotes they use. At least they should.

The Lord led me to this passage to talk about trust. The title has been changed to acknowledgements at His direction. I have no way to prove that, you will just have to trust me.

I acknowledge Him for setting me straight on what trust really means.

I had a plan in mind to write about trusting God and why we can. I will not go into my thoughts because as the proverb says, “don’t lean on it”. Leaning is using something to support your stance. In this I do not have a leg to stand on. 

Trust means nothing if it doesn’t lead you in the right direction. We have to be willing to seek God, hear God, believe God and then go the way He has chosen.

Trust is meaningless without an action that follows. He can make the path straight but we still have to choose to walk in it. That choice indicates we love the Lord enough to give up our own plans and follow His lead. Loving Him in doing His will is an acknowledgement even if we do not say it.

It is the brother that said he would not go and then did rather than the one who said he would go and then did not. Saying a thing does not make it so.

I would like to think that we all want to walk in God’s will. My personal experience says that discovering God’s perfect will is difficult and takes a good deal of prayer, study and most importantly, some heart searching.

It is rather easy to tell ourselves that God agrees with us rather than searching out the scriptures to hear from God. It takes time and effort to search out the truth through God’s word. The Word however is where we will find God speaking to us in truth and spirit.

John 4:23-24 English Standard Version (ESV) 23 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. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”