Going After GOD?

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24 I often hear people say they are "going after God." That sounds good, but what does it really mean? Since God relentlessly pursues us, we shouldn't have to "go after" Him, we should just be living a life that reflects His Character and focusing on being more like Him. Our spirit man (or woman) should be in tune with The Holy Spirit. We should be alert to what The Spirit is saying to us & what He desires to do in and through us. We must allow God to strip away anything in us that is not of Him, anything that is contrary to His Nature. Conversely, we must allow Him to grow, cultivate & mature those things that are representative of Him. True worship pleases GOD--worship that is pure, that comes from a grateful and true heart. However, sometimes we worship the experience of worship, rather than truly worshipping Him. We get caught up in the moment--the noise, the lights the spectacle of it all--and miss worshipping GOD as our Creator, or Savior, our Source of Life and Love. Instead, we should simply worship Him and allow ourselves to be lost in Him. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; Psalm 96:4 What, then, is our motive for worship? Are we just going through the motions? Is it out of a sense of obligation, habit or routine? Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; Joshua 24:14 What does it mean to fear the Lord? Truly we have reason to fear or be afraid of Him if we aren't living as we should be, but the fear of the Lord is more of a reverential awe of Him & Who He is. If our concept of God is one of Him sitting & waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us, our view of Him is incorrect. Yes, God is a God of judgement for those living in sin--but, He is a God of love, mercy & grace for those who love & live for Him. We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 Our character should reflect His. If we are living in accordance with His Will & His Plan for us, we have no reason to "go after" Him, we should simply bask in Who He is and seek to share Him with those who are wandering from the truth. That's my thoughts--the late-night thoughts of an insomniac, but I sense an urgency to share them. Because--in some strange way, and for some odd reason--these ramblings of mine reflect what I feel have been given to me through The Spirit of God, Who desires our worship to be in spirit and truth... Blessings! Tony