This week’s devotions are based on the message: “I Love My Church” Week 1 (LISTEN HERE)

There are different places, locations, buildings that we eventually have to visit in life.

I’m not talking about Disney World, that’s a “want to” visit place. I’m talking about the places we need to go to just because of the course of life: school, for example, or the dentist’s office. Various necessary places will invoke a variety of responses in us. We feel different about going to the mall compared to say going to the dentist. 

Do you love going to the DMV?

Do you love going to the doctor’s office?

Do you love going to the grocery store?

While all of these are a necessary stop at various points in life, they are generally not our favorite to go.  They don’t get rave reviews, right? Some worse than others, but in all three of them you can see that we go to these places in most cases because we have to, not necessarily because we want to.  I would guess your reaction to all of these was NOT “I LOVE to go!”

So what would you say about your church?

Honestly consider these questions. Do we think about church the same way we think about going to the DMV, the doctor’s office, or the grocery store? Is this just a place that we feel we “have” to go to or is there more to it? Think about people who aren’t here with us today or maybe people who haven’t stepped into a church in a long time or ever. I’d be willing to guess that some of them would describe coming to church like we describe going to the DMV, and based on their experiences, they probably wouldn’t be far off from the truth.

Is that what God intended when He created the church? Was that His idea about this community of people? I believe the Bible tells us that no, that was not nor is it God’s plan for HIS church.  The Lord God desires us all to have the attitude of King David who said, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1)

David LOVED to go to the house of the Lord.  He was surround by others who loved to go to church and be with the Lord and each other.  Even though I am sure he loved going by himself (if he ever did), he loved when others invited him to go along.

Why?

Because he loved to be in the presence of the God who loved him and with people who loved God.  It was a time to spend with the Lord and with people who loved the Lord.

To be sure, as sinful human beings, we can give people many reasons NOT to love going to church or being at church.  For this we repent.

But the Church that God designed, and God brought us into, and God works through…this Church I too LOVE going to in order to be with the Lord and with others who love the Lord.  I pray these next weeks increase our love for God’s Church…my church!

Apply: What do YOU love about your church?  What don’t you love?  How might you be part of changing it so it doesn’t get in the way of people connecting with Jesus and his people?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for designing the Church and making me part of it.  Forgive me when I don’t love your church or do something to make it not loved by others.  Help me to love spending time with you and with your people.  AMEN.