John 4:23

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” 

Have you ever noticed how people that spend a lot of time together begin to act like one another? Married couples even start to look like each other, picking up on their spouse’s mannerisms and expressions over the years. My wife, Erin, and I have made “couple comparing” into a game. We try to figure out which couples have morphed into each other after years of being married. Now that we have been married for many years, people are starting to say that we look alike (which is good for me, bad for her). 

God is looking for people who look like Him through their attitudes and actions. Worshipers who are transforming into His image day by day. Did you know God is searching your heart right now? Even as you are reading this book, God is searching your heart. Does He see His characteristics in you?

Notice, Jesus did not say He was looking for worship in John 4:23. He said He was looking for worshipers. Now that was a huge statement! God does not need worship as though He is lacking something. He has no need; He is God. However, He seeks worshipers because worshipers have a relationship with Him. Worship is something we give to God, but being a worshiper is something that we are for God. It is a condition of our heart, and the condition of our heart shows us who we really are. In the human body, the heart is more important than the hand. This is because, without the hand, the heart can go on, but without the heart, the hand is dead. God is not looking for hands (worship) as much as He is looking for hearts (worshipers). He is first concerned about the condition of our heart. Let me tell you why. Whatever is in our heart will be displayed by our actions.  

Proverbs 23:7a

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

1 Chronicles 28:9b

The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.

Whatever is in our heart is what motivates us to action. If there is hope and purpose in our heart, we are energized to step out and act. But if there is hopelessness and depression, we feel dead inside, and it causes us to sink back in defeat. Whatever the condition of our heart is, so will our actions follow.