I want you to be honest. Real honest. Are there ever any Sunday mornings you don’t feel like going to church? If you were to tell me, “Nope. I have never once had a Sunday I didn’t want to go to church.” If that is you, I am envious. I cannot say that . . . I’ve experienced a Sunday or two when I wasn’t too thrilled about going to church. And I think each of you would be in my camp, but before I offer the strongest motivator possible to be faithful to church, week-in and week-out, I want to identify four reasons or excuses for missing church.
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Old Testament
I often ask myself self-examination questions like this, “Jim, are you growing in grace? Are you getting closer to Christ? Is the Fruit of the Spirit blossoming more in you now than last week, month, or year? Is spiritual maturity something you recognize happening in you?” These are difficult questions because they require honest, unhurried time with the Lord to mediate and listen to His voice through His Word in order to answer them. They also are difficult because we need another input outside of ourselves because of the treachery and self-deception in our hearts (Jeremiah 17:9). So, what are some signs that we may see in our lives that we are growing in Christ and exhibiting spiritual maturity?
Every Christian goes through those spiritual experiences called “the blues”; those down times of sadness, maybe discouragement or depression, that just don’t have a cause. We are not in sin. Nor are we totally dysfunctional. We simply are stuck in a spiritual fog that has taken the spring out of our step, the joy to be less in our hearts, and the routines of life almost like little balls and chains dragging us down. However, we can get through “the blues” and that quite quickly if we learn to do four things. Let’s consider them today.
Psalm 100:3 – Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. THEME OF THE DAY. HIS SHEEP UNDER HIS CARE. There is no greater place to find rest for our souls. There is no greater place to satisfy our hearts. There is no…
Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. THEME OF THE DAY. IT WON’T COME EASY. In the High Priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus, He opens the dialogue with His Father by stating two things which pertain directly to us; His authority over us and the privilege of…
Ecclesiastes 12:14 – For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. A. Our Judge and Us Points 1 -3 are in Part 1. Point 4 is in Part 2. Who is our Judge? What qualities are in our Judge? What will be the standards of our judgment? What will be judged? What will be the…