Worship, anywhere; anytime!

John 4:21-24

     21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

As someone who was not born a Jew, these are VERY powerful words! Up to this point in history, it was understood that to worship God, the one true God, one had to do that wherever the temple, or the arc of the covenant was located. Not only was the location limited, but so was the audience. Non-Jewish people could worship at the Temple, but they were only allowed so far into the Temple. So when Jesus told this women (another thing in history that wasn't done much was men talking to women at wells, especially not JEWISH men talking to a SAMARITAN women.) that a time was coming when people would be allowed to worship anywhere; He was saying, that I could worship the Lord as well as any Jewish person.

The New Testament is full of examples of Jesus teaching us that Jews, and Gentiles alike could come to Him and become children of God. I find this example up lifting. Times have changed so much since Jesus first walked this earth; and the human race has had to spread out a lot more, even if I HAD been born a Jew, I wouldn't have been able to go to the Temple to worship. I love that He tells us we can worship in spirit and in truth! How else would a girl living in Oklahoma be able to reach out and connect with God on High? I can tell you this, it's DEFIANTLY not through my good deeds and sinless life.

I am that person that spoken of in Romans 3:23. I have fallen sinned, and I know that on my own I'm short of God's Glory. But this verse reminds me that I CAN be one with God, in spirit; it also reminds me that God will forgive me if I just ask. I know that this verse doesn't actually say that God forgives when asked, but it reminds me of some of the other verses I've written about that DO say those words. All I know is that I'm wholly undeserving of God's grace, but that I have received it through His Son, Jesus Christ.