Thursday, March 3, 2011
Looking for Worshipers
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. —John 4:23
Years ago, I had a little parakeet named Popcorn, who was a smart little bird. I would open the door to his cage, stand across the room, and call his name, and he would fly over and land on my shoulder. He would just sit there and happily chirp away.
One day, I was at Balboa Island in Newport Beach and saw a guy with a big parrot on his shoulder. I noticed the parrot just sat there and never flew away, even though his wings weren't clipped and he wasn't on a leash. I actually talked to the guy about it and was very impressed. So I thought, I am going to do that with Popcorn. I went home, put Popcorn on my shoulder, and we walked through the house. He just sat there. Then I opened the door and walked outside. Popcorn flew off, and I never saw him again. I searched and searched for him for days.
God is searching for people who want to worship Him. He is searching for people who want to grow spiritually. Jesus said, "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" (John 4:23).
Jesus told a story called the Parable of the Sower, which is a parable about spiritual growth and how people respond to the Word of God. The bottom line is that we decide what kind of soil our hearts will have by the way we hear God's Word. We determine whether or not the soil of our hearts will be responsive.
So if you want to grow spiritually, you will. And if you don't want to grow spiritually, you won't. It is as simple as that.
Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
SPECIAL OFFER
Even believers sometimes doubt...
-
Have you ever doubted the Bible? Have you ever had questions about how the Bible came into being? Have you wondered about the historical reliability of the Bible? Listen. Don't feel bad about that. Let us help you. Here is a great resource that will bolster your faith and help you to defend your beliefs. This book is called Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible. It is written by Greg's friend, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, who is the pastor of the famed Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, Illinois.
You can have your own copy of Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible in appreciation for your gift to Harvest Ministries this month. 