God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.

In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour



The Scriptures are full of individuals who worshipped God in any number of circumstances, circumstances which were both good and bad.

Their example says worshipping God should be a part of every Christian's daily walk in faith. That includes a spectrum which ranges from praising Him for deliverance from our enemies, to honoring Him for the bounty of His richness towards us.

David, the shepherd-king of Israel, could easily recite any number of instances when the Lord's unrivaled power during times of raging conflict and horrible bloodshed were an occasion for worship. You can see God's deliverance was reflected in Psalm 9.

David wrote, "Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the people His deeds! For He who avenges blood is mindful of them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted" (Psalm 9:11-12).

As God's children, we should note that He, not we, is in control. For that reason our worship should embrace an attitude of humility and repentance.

Once again David supplies us with an example. This time hear the words of Psalm 51:15-17: "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For You will not delight in sacrifice or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken spirit and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

Of course, David is not the only one who encourages us to worship. Nor is he the only one who gives us directions or guidelines.

In the New Testament, Jesus' words were recorded by the beloved disciple, John.

The Lord reminded us that if we wish our worship to be acceptable to God, it must be offered in spirit and in truth. In other words, our worship to God must come from a sincere heart, a heart which harbors no grumbling, pride or boastfulness.

Indeed, no one can say it better than did our Savior: for true worship to take place it must be done in spirit and in truth.

THE PRAYER: Father Almighty, create in us true worship and also true response, which is spiritual and truthful so our worship at all times will be acceptable in Your sight. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Isaac Adaam, who has worked with Lutheran Media Ministry, Ghana. Through Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), Equipping the Saints (ETS) and The Harps -- a music ministry team -- LHM-Ghana reaches people with the Gospel in this West African nation of 22 million people.


To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 90    Leviticus 1-2    Mark 5:1-20

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