What do you think of when you hear the word “spirit”? You might think of that time before a football or basketball game when they have “spirit assemblies” to boost the morale of the team and make the audience root louder for the whole team. Perhaps you think of a bodiless ectoplasm floating around the room…you know, like
I challenge you to apply either of those two interpretations to the word spirit in the following verse…
”God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 (NIV)
Yeah, I know, they don’t work very well…so…let’s look briefly at the Greek word that is translated “spirit.”
The word is pneuma. Here is the definition from Strong’s Greek Dictionary.
a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy spirit:—ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind.
Ok, so the bodiless thing is in there, but it goes beyond floating ghosties! The thing I would like us to zero in on is the “rational soul” part. Perhaps something that will help is to compare it with another word in the Greek for breath…psuche. Here is the Strong’s Dictionary definition of that word…
1. breath 2. the soul 2a) the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)
See the difference? The word used for spirit in
We are to worship God rationally, not based on how we “feel.” If we worshiped God by how we feel, we might not get up on Sunday to go to church because we we’re tired or because we’re mad at someone or…you get the point.
We must make a rational decision to bow down and worship our Creator…regardless of how we feel. He is the maker of our Universe, of the heavens and the earth. He is all-powerful and the author of our salvation. To God be the glory forever and ever.
Decide today to worship Him based on who He is…not how you feel.
SEEK FIRST THE
