Why Should I Attend Church?

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

Do you attend church regularly? As we can see from the scripture above, God considers getting together with other believers important. He tells us not to neglect it. 

Why?

What good does it do?

Well, the easy answer to "why" is because God said so.

The longer answer to "why" is the answer to "what good does it do?."

The Benefits of Church Attendance (as I see it)

• It gives me a place to belong and a spiritual family to belong to.
• It gives me a chance to spend time in worship with other believers.
• I learn more about God by hearing His word and the message that He has laid on the heart of the Pastor.
• I am encouraged to greater love for others and to good works as I serve those around me (and not just in church).

These are all great reasons to attend church, but I've left one very important reason out. You see, all of the above is focused on what I get out of church, but what's more important is what I give to others while I'm at church. I'm not talking about money, although, giving the tithe (10th of my income) is a part of my weekly worship. I'm talking about helping others to experience the benefits I've listed above. How can I help others to get the most out of coming to church?

I can...

• Welcome them with a hug or handshake and a sincere, "It's good to see you this morning. How was your week?"
• I can enter fully into the worship time by singing the songs, clapping my hands, raising them to God. This may encourage others to worship God wholeheartedly, too.
• I can listen intently to the message, taking notes and jotting down scripture references. After church, I can share briefly a highlight or a scripture that particularly spoke to my heart and ask others what spoke to them.
• I can show real love by being attentive to the needs of others and by serving in some capacity in my church.
• I can be part of a small group that meets during the week to go over the message again and dig a little deeper into the topic, so that we all can grow in our relationship with God.

God wants us to stir one another up. 

Sometimes that takes a negative form. Some use the time after church to criticize the Pastor, the message, or another believer. They might complain about the music, the temperature in the room, or any number of things. That will stir things up, for sure, but that's NOT what God meant. We are to encourage one another, refresh one another, even challenge one another to take the next step in spiritual journey. 

Daily life - problems, busyness and stress all tend to weary us through the week. Sundays give us the chance to revive, refresh and renew. Not just for ourselves, but to be a part of building others up. We were never meant to do life alone. We are better together.

So, I leave you with this; how will you strengthen others this Sunday? How will you "stir up one another to love and good works", this week? How can you give as much as you get?

As you put this into practice, you will find that the more you give to others, the more you will be blessed by great friendships and support, yourself. Go on, give it a try this Sunday and let me know how it works out.

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Divine Appointments

Did you ever have a chance meeting with someone and just know that you were supposed to meet? That happened to me today.

I stopped in a coffee shop today to grab a bite of lunch. While waiting for my food I noticed a beautiful young girl. I didn't know her, but I recognized the look on her face. She looked like me when I'm trying to think of the next words to write - fingers poised over the keyboard, eyes looking up, searching for just the right word or phrase to express what you're trying to say. If you're a writer, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I asked her if she was writing and that started a conversation. We spoke for just a few minutes, but in that time I learned quite a bit about her and knew that God had arranged for the two of us to run into each other. Her name is Amanda and she has a wonderful story to tell. I just know that God is going to use her to help and encourage many people along the way. He has a wonderful plan for her life and he's arranging circumstances and moving people into her life to help her along the journey.

I'm adding Amanda to the list of people I pray for on a regular basis.

Does something like this ever happen to you? When you're out and about, keep you eyes open for someone that God might want you to meet, to encourage and to pray for. You never know when your normal, everyday life will turn into a divine appointment.

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Dirty Dishes Devotional

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

1 Corinthians 10:31

Let me just say this right up front...

I hate doing dishes.

I could say that it's because I grew up in a household with 5 brothers, Mom, Dad and me and that I was responsible for doing the dishes each night while my brothers were allowed to go outside and play...right outside the window over the kitchen sink where I slaved over a pile of dishes. (My mom made wonderful, old-fashioned big meals, so lots of dishes.) Yes, I could say that's why I hate doing dishes, but I won't. You are free, however, to assume that's the reason I hate washing dishes.

Now, here's the kicker - I have a dishwasher, but I wash them by hand. Why, you ask? Well, our dishwasher was installed when our mobile home was manufactured about 35 years ago. It's loud, it runs for about an hour and a half per load and it drives up our electric bill terribly, so until we break down and buy a new energy-saving dishwasher, I do by them by hand. Did I mention that we've lived in our mobile (which we love) for 20 years?

So, there I was this morning, dreading the pile of dirty dishes on my counter. (Yes, I'm a procrastinator.) Then the verse above came to me - 

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

1 Corinthians 10:31

I grabbed my Kindle, put on some worship music and sang my way through that pile of dirty dishes. Was done before I knew it and, much to my surprise, I enjoyed it! Who knew?

How about you? What is that one household chore that you dislike so much that you put it off until it's a much bigger job than it needs to be? Can you pretend that God, Himself has asked you to do it for Him? 

Go ahead, do it that way and let us know how it goes.

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Struck with a Sense of Sehnsucht

Sehnsucht (n.)

Origin: German

Definition: The inconsolable longing in the human heart for a far, familiar, non-earthly land one can identify as one's home.

I didn't know there was a word for this constant longing I experience for my heavenly home. It's always there, in the back of my mind - a wondering about what it will be like, look like, sound like.

My heart beats a little faster when I think of dwelling in the presence of my Savior and my Heavenly Father. Will the Holy Spirit still reside within me or will he surround me?

I contemplate the joy I will experience at seeing those I love who have gone on before to their promised reward - that place that was prepared for them by Jesus himself.

The chorus of an old hymn comes to mind...

Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face,

There to sing forever of His saving grace;

On the streets of glory let me lift my voice,

Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice. 

Tell me, my friend, are you ever struck with a sense of sehnsucht?

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