But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)

God Is Seeking

The free will of man has been the mark of creation since Adam was formed from the dust of the earth. It would be easy to view the fate of man with a critical eye of disbelief to suggest God created a being that is not accountable for his actions. After the fall of man Adam blamed the woman given to him by God for his failure. He was unwilling to take responsibility for his actions. His failure was not his own and he sought to place the blame on God for creating the woman who gave him the fruit. The Lord ignored the futile plea of Adam and charged him with rebellion. Placing the trees in the midst of the garden was the wisdom of God to show man he always has a choice. The tree of life would give life and the tree of knowledge would bring death. Eating of the tree of life was a blessing from the hand of the Creator to give man something he could not have otherwise. God made man as a mortal creature but eating of the tree of life would extend his life forever. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed in the garden to show the nature of man’s free will. He was told eating of this tree would bring death. There was life in one tree but death in the other. It did not matter whether Adam and Eve understood the full ramifications of eating of the tree of knowledge but if they were willing to trust in God and choose life they would stay away from the tree of knowledge. Because of their rebellion, sin made its first appearance in man.

Made in the image of God, man is unlike the animals. He can make a moral choice. Through the nature of free will, the Lord seeks His creation to worship Him. The defining moment in man’s history has always been whether he is willing to give honor to God in spirit and truth. When Noah preached to the dark world of his day, men had turned away from worshiping the Lord seeking their own pleasures and wisdom. The nation of Israel struggled throughout its history to understand the Lord God wanted their hearts more than their sacrifices. Jesus tells the woman at the well of Jacob that worship to God is not drawn from ceremonial recreations of man’s truth and feelings but the will of God. Worship to God requires truth and it needs the proper heart. The Samaritans had created a form of worship but it was not according to the pattern of God’s will. True worshipers define the choice of man’s free will to trust in the grace of the Lord alone. Worship demands truth and spirit and God will not accept anything less.

Man possesses a free will to choose what he will do. God will not reach down and force man to worship Him or to obey Him. It is dependent upon the heart of man whether he will follow the will of the Lord and serve the Creator in truth and spirit. When Jesus told the woman that His Father was seeking men He illustrated the free will of man to choose and the desire of God to receive those who will seek Him. The Lord God is seeking men to love Him, embrace His mercy, fill their hearts with His presence and willingly serve the commandments of an all-wise Father. The woman at the well learned the lesson found in the Garden of Eden. As Adam and Eve walked among the tapestry of paradise God was seeking for those who would worship Him in spirit and truth. Deceived by the serpent, Eve took of the fruit and gave to her husband. Since that time, God has been seeking, looking, desiring and longing for His creation to come to Him and worship Him. The true worshiper will serve God in truth and spirit. God is seeking. Will He find you?