Observation: As the woman at the well begins to discover whom Jesus really is, she asks him about proper worship of Yahweh, as there was disagreement on this matter between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus clarifies that the question is now irrelevant. Yes, the Lord gave laws about the proper location for complying with sacrificial rules, however with the arrival of Messiah there is a new manner of worship. Differentiated from "temple or mountain", he calls the new manner or worship "spirit and truth".
Worship in the spirit is to honor the Lord in your heart, and to truly engage with him through the Holy Spirit. In this manner, we join our spirit with his and with others. We know the living God, and worship him as a key interaction in our relationship with him. Worship in truth is to serve and love others as part of obeying the teaching of the Lord. We acknowledge that the word of the Lord is true, and thus obey it out of honor of that truth.
In this way, worship is not just singing. It is our daily activities. Worship includes prayer, contemplation, and our words and actions, especially toward others. As Paul puts it, it is making ourselves a living sacrifice, so that all our thoughts and actions are in fact acts of true worship.
Jesus is teaching that we do not need to go to a specific hill to 'worship' ... rather, by the Holy Spirit, our every action, everywhere, can be worshipful to the Lord.
Application: This lesson shows me how much more closely I need to guard my daily behavior, words, and deeds. I can worship the Lord in everything, but of course my bad actions are not acts of worship at all, and they remove me from the presence of the Lord available through worship. I desire to worship continually, by obeying the Lord and loving others. This is not always simple, but it is always possible.
Prayer: Lord, I would like to worship you in every action, everywhere, continually. My spirit yields to the Holy Spirit. May there be more of him, and less of me. Amen.
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