The following are excepts taken from ‘Our Daily Bread: Why bother going to church? Some would tell us that it’s better to sleep late on Sunday, eat a leisurely breakfast, and lounge around talking with the family. And then maybe have lunch with friends or enjoy a picnic and games with the children.
Worship? Who need worship anyway? We all do! We need worship because we are unique creatures made in the image of God. We are made for God, so we can’t fulfill our purpose unless we develop a right relationship with Him. And worship helps us to do that when we focus on the Lord.
As we join with other worshipers in church, our hearts are lifted out of this temporal world into God’s eternal world. According to William Temple, in worship the conscience is quickened by the holiness of God, the mind is fed by the truth of God, the imagination is purged by the beauty of God, the heart is opened to the love of God, and the will is devoted to the purpose of God. And thus, we are helped onward in our goal of becoming more like God.
Church membership has never gotten anyone into heaven. But this doesn’t mean it’s unimportant to be committed to a local church. True, the Bible doesn’t command believers to “join” a church, because they are already members of the church, the body of Christ. But the Bible does instruct Christians to be actively involved in a local group of believers. “…..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….”( Hebrews 10:24,25). Commitment to an active fellowship in a local church is biblical.
Sometimes we would rather not be involved in church life, thinking it’s easier just to go it alone. But research has proven that the group experience of fellowship with others has proven that it helps believers to remain loyal to the Lord. Relationships within a unified, Spirit-filled body of believers are essential for growth and for maintaining our individual faithfulness to the Savior. Our own personal relationship to God, vital as that is, is not sufficient to produce spiritual maturity and endurance.
In the Bible, the life of faith is often described as a walk. For most of us, our Christian pilgrimage involves plodding, a pace that sometimes feels unspiritual and sometimes feels unspiritual and unproductive. The dictionary defines plodding as ‘making one’s way slowly and
perseveringly.”Our soul’s deepest longings are satisfied when we know Jesus as our Savior, but we must keep prodding on to know Him better and to become more like Him! An example of productive plodding is William Carey. A shoemaker by trade. Carey became a scholar, a linguist, and the father of modern missions. He lived by this motto:
“Expect great thing from God; attempt great things for God.:
Are we fulfilling our God-given responsibilities by faith, or do we feel like giving up? God wants us to be a faithful follower, maintaining a unified fellowship with other believers.
Only One Life
Two little lines I heard one day, as I plodded on in my usual way:And they rang in my ears again, and again, repeating in solemn, sweet refrain:“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”“Only one life,” The still, small voice gently allures to the better choice,Bidding me never let selfish aims overshadow my Savior’s claims.Give me, Savior, a purpose deep, in joy or sorrow Thy trust to keep;And so thru trouble, care and strife, Glorify Thee in my daily life!“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what ‘s done for Christ will last.
Christian Graphie
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing, What a wealth of truth and wisdom.
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