We should worship God in a way that pleases him with respect and fear. Hebrews 12:28b (NCV)

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One of the ways we please God is when our worship is accurate. It’s easy to worship in an inaccurate way; for instance, some people say, “I like to think of God as ...” and then they share their idea of the kind of God they’d like to worship.

But we can’t just create our own comfortable or politically correct image of God and then worship it – that is called idolatry. Worship must not be based on our opinions about God but on the truth of Scripture.

To worship accurately means we worship God as he is truly revealed in the Bible. Jesus told the woman at the well, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23 NIV).

In speaking to this Samaritan woman, Jesus revealed several aspects of accurate worship:

God can be worshipped anywhere, anytime – Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “The time is coming when neither in Jerusalem nor on this mountain will you actually worship the Father.” (John 4:21 NCV)

God can be found in worship – The Samaritan woman did not yet know God, but Jesus told her it is possible to know the God we worship. (John 4:22)

God will find us in worship – Jesus says, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23 NIV)

God connects with us through the Holy Spirit – Jesus says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24 NCV)