A few weeks ago, my daughter and I were getting out of the car and heading into the church when she said so cheerfully, “ I just love church, it’s my favorite “. When is the last time you said that? I grew up in church and cannot remember a time when I was not in church. Has it always been Great? No, but if we only went to church when we feel like it, we probably would not be going very much. It seems like church get’s placed on the back burner these days behind School events, sports and leisure. When I was a kid, if we were not at church something was wrong. My fondest memories growing up had to do with an event or service at church and that is where I received the calling to the Ministry. Whether it was kid’s camp, Youth Camp , special meetings or just the basic’s of our regular Sunday and Wednesday services. The many drives to and from church were always filled with song. We never turned on the radio, we made our own music. It was always something we looked forward to. If I had the choice to pick between an event at Church or anything else, the majority of the time I would choose the Church Event, because that is where my family was, my friends and the people who had a real investment in my life.
Somewhere between that time in our lives and now we find ourselves not so connected, not so involved or sometimes even overwhelmed with everything and Church has become the least of our priorities, which leads to God being at the bottom . If church is near the bottom of our important things, then where is prayer and reading the Bible? Are they even existent? Have we replaced reading the Bible with television, prayer with chatting on the internet?
This past Sunday our Pastor spoke about getting back to our first love, having our Spiritual Hard Drives rebooted. Such a simple but needed word for this time. We tend to let things get in our way of communicating with God and the things that are necessary to enhancing our relationship with God and growing spiritually. We go to church for so many reasons, To get “ fed “ the Word of God, to Worship and fellowship. I have seen something I have never seen before over the past few months at church. The majority of our congregation staying after the Pastor has dismissed and continuing to Praise and Worship, or pray. We need to be hungry for God. We need to make ourselves more available to be used by God. If we do that, He will begin to use us in situations we had not even considered. Don’t you want the most you can get out of what God has for you? In 2nd Chronicles 7, God appears to Solomon and tells him He has heard his prayer and he tells Solomon, 14” If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
It is my prayer today that we will do just that, 1st Humble ourselves before God, pray, seek even crave and turn from all those things that distract us and bog us down. I preached a sermon back in 1995 called, “ Clean your Room” it is so much easier to know what direction God is leading you if you don’t have things all over the place getting in your way. Find a quite place and take a few minutes to really ask God, what it is He would have you do, and then Listen.
Can I get a Witness?
K
