Who's Got Time For That?

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

As I was sitting in church last Sunday, I noticed some people who were in the service that were checking the clock when the service started and at varying intervals during the service. This is something that has bothered me from the time I was a young person. While I cannot presume know or judge another’s motives for their actions, I do question them. I have always felt that, as a Christian, we should desire to be in God’s house and among his people. We should never be concerned about the length of the church service. We are putting limits on the Holy Spirit when we are consumed with time in a church service. In addition, we lose our focus; we forget why we are at church. Finally, we may distract others who truly desire to worship God. Friends, fellow Christians, if your passion in going to church is to love and worship God then put the watches away and make a deliberate choice not to be distracted by looking at the clock on the wall. Let's rejoice and be glad to come into God's presence. Let's not insult God by looking at the time as though we have some place better to be. After all, you wouldn't appreciate someone you love coming to your house and then continually looking at their watch. We should not assume that God understands either. For God searches the heart; He knows the motives behind the clock-watching.
Let us not be so concerned with the length of a church service that we fail to appreciate why we are there. Now, let's worship.

Comments

Live Fearlessly

As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the road. Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride. As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping. I could have and should have but I didn't. Why? I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid. It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into overdrive. Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting. Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy. As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid. Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know. As I was driving away from a misse...

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story. We were new parents. When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes. One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house. The next thing I heard was a thud. I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened. There was my son with a table on top of him. He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over. We put him in the car and dashed for the ER. It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches. Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike. She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road....

Just A Word of Praise!!

On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away. On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road. It was no big deal. We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home. Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat. Yikes! I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire. A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped. As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer. He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire. My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.” I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him. Within...

Inspirations

Search This Blog