WHEN IT COMES TO CHURCH, GLAD OR SAD?

PSALM 122:1  NKJ 
I was glad when they said to me, 
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.” 

The psalmist, which could have been David, was glad about going to the house of the Lord.  When this psalm was written, the temple was the house of the Lord.  It was the place that represented God.  People would go to worship and learn about God from the scriptures.  The writer saw this time as a good time, so he was glad.   

Today our church buildings are dedicated to the Lord, but we are the house of the Lord.  The Lord lives in us by His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).    And yet we come to church to worship God, to learn about God and His kingdom, and often to serve God in some capacity.  We see church time as valuable, not a religious duty.  We view church as a place to be strengthened and refreshed, a place to use our gifts and talents to honor God.  With all the worthless things around us, church is a high value proposition.  So, we are glad.   

APPLICATION 

A great way to check up on your spiritual condition is to examine your perspective of church.  Are you glad or sad to go?   If church is something you look forward to, something that you value, your heart is probably going in the right direction.   If church is a drudgery and you really don't want to go, you need to honestly ask yourself why. Of course, I am assuming when I say church, I am referring to a life giving, gospel proclaiming people reaching church that loves God and strengthens His children.  

During the 2020 pandemic, when our church was shut down, I realized just how important and valuable church is for our spiritual health.  I am a believer in church, maybe even more so because I have seen the negative effects of not having church available.  So, I am glad to be open.  Glad to have the freedom to come and worship.  Glad to be with God's family.  So many things today are just sad, but a good church that proclaims God's good news is a reason to be glad!