Daily Devotional
Do You Worship God with Joy?
“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.”
Romans 1:9
November 26, 2023
Ponder This
We worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. What does it mean to worship in spirit? You don’t just worship God with your hands and your knees and your eyes and your mouth—that’s involved, but worship needs to come from within. You have to serve God with your spirit. If you don’t enjoy worshiping, the problem is in your heart. If worship seems boring to you, you are not worshiping God in spirit and in truth. You may think a church service is just listening to a sermon or singing songs, but it is more than that!
You have to worship God in spirit! And to worship God in spirit, the Holy Spirit has to be in your spirit! “You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). If you don’t enjoy coming to church, if it’s tedious, tasteless, a bore, and a drag to you, remember the joy of your salvation, go to a gathering, and see God work in a powerful way to remind yourself of His Spirit at work!
- Do you enjoy worship services? What do you like about them? What is more difficult for you about them?
- Have you ever found yourself stuck in the motions, going to church as a routine, but taking no joy in it? How can we turn to the Lord in these moments?
Practice This
Spend some time in prayer asking God to restore the joy of your salvation and lead you to worship Him in spirit and truth as He desires.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
