Welcome to Day 166 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about finding nourishment in the Word of God to get us through the day. In each devotional, I take a variety of scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses each) and build our understanding of what they teach via their context and connecting scripture. My goal is to help you understand how to be the type of human God created you to be. Today’s passage is John 4:24.

John 4:24

NASB	NLT	VOICE
24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.	24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”	24 The Father is spirit, and He is seeking followers whose worship is sourced in truth and deeply spiritual as well.

“God is Spirit” refers to the fact that he is not a physical being that can exist physically at only one place. God exists everywhere at one time and can be worshiped anywhere at any time. Where we worship is not what matters, but how we worship. This reminds me of the “at-home” part of the COVID-19 pandemic. My pastor at that time said every Sunday that while we could not gather physically, we are joined together by the Holy Spirit as one body. The impact that it made on me to do this is still felt. The church is not the building we gather in, but the joining of believers to celebrate the one true God that we follow.

The Holy Spirit prays for us, reminds us of the words of Jesus, cleanses our mind and consciences, and tells us we are loved. We have a Spirit inside of us that craves the best for us. The Spirit celebrates with us and mourns with us. The Spirit is fighting the battle with us against our own temptations and is working within us to find God’s victory. The Spirit keeps us focused on the teachings of God, finding ways to apply them to all parts of our lives. The Spirit refreshes our minds and consciences. It doesn’t keep our focus on the guilt and shame the evil forces wants us to focus on but instead refreshes them of impure things and allow for God’s purity to overcome. The Spirit continuously tells us that we are loved. That God loves us all at all times, regardless of our past, regardless of our sins, regardless of what anyone else says about us. God forgives and forgets and allows us to continuously work to be at least 1% better than we were yesterday and how we can continue to reflect his love, compassion, and mercy to the rest of the world.

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #167