A Single Day in God's House

For more than a week now I have had a hunger inside of me. We have had our days filled with doctors and tests and at times feel like each day is a blurr. We have had many visitors who encourage us and bless us, and show us that God is still on His throne. We have enjoyed many encouraging phone calls and read many texts and emails that remind us that we are loves and God is doing a work in our lives and the lives of those praying for us. But I still miss getting together with our church family on Sunday morning.

This morning I had hoped to be able to go to a church service close to the hospital, but as I was getting up to get ready, the doctor mentioned that Josh seemed to be retaining fluids and he thought he heard a slight heart murmur when listening to his heart. A few minutes later the nurse/tech took his blood pressure and needed to take it again because it was low. So I changed directions and decided to stay here to keep an eye on Josh. I felt disappointed at not being able to go to church.

I miss getting together with brothers and sisters in Christ to sing His praises and study His word. I miss the fellowship of our Sunday School class and the time sharing prayer requests. There is something refreshing and encouraging about worshiping God with others who come hungry to learn about Him. We are encouraged in the book of Hebrew to meet together regularly.

Heb. 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Some people go to church because it is what they always do on Sunday, or because it is a good place to meet other people. I've even heard people say that it is a good place to make business contacts, but the truth is, going to church is not a religious thing. It doesn't make you a better person in God's eyes, it doesn't earn you rewards or protect you from bad things but it is about choosing to be in a place where God can encourage you, through his other children.

If you look at our regular lives, we look for opportunities to be with other people who make us feel good. We might go to breakfast with a group of men to talk about our week, we might go shopping with friends or go hiking or hunting. We do these thing because we enjoy being with people who care about us and encourage us.

As people who choose to follow Christ, if we will meet together and speak truth into each others lives, together we will find a joy and happiness that comes from becoming who God wants us to be. Although this idea of living the way God suggests goes against what we hear and see every day, what I have found is that when I make choices that are consistent with what God wants, then we avoid the consequences that come with poor choices.

Here in North America, we have the freedom to publicly worship God. Sometimes when we have the freedom to do something, we don't take it as seriously. Like voting. But how would you look at thing if you were told you couldn't do it anymore. If reading the Bible or getting together to sing Gods praises was outlawed, we might make it more of a priority. I would encourage you this week to make going to church a priority.

Here are just a few verses that express how I have been feeling about church.

Psa. 122:1 I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

Psa. 84:10 A single day in your courts

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

Psa. 84:2 I long, yes, I faint with longing

to enter the courts of the LORD.

With my whole being, body and soul,

I will shout joyfully to the living God.

I hope that you will choose to meet together regularly with other Christ followers. I know that if you do, others that don't know Him will see Him in you.