IS THE LORD’S HOUSE A PLACE OF GLADNESS OR ENDURANCE FOR YOU?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.  
(Psalm 122:1)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever noticed how some people go to work with a headache?
Some go to sporting events (or play sports) with a bad cold.
However on Sunday, a lot of people are stricken with “Sunday-itis”.
It is an unusual condition that creates a feeling of lethargy and weakness.

Sometimes the victim has a slight headache which is aggravated 
by the thought of getting dressed and going to church.
At other times they just don’t “feel right”.
There are some who often try a home remedy 
of recreational activity as early in the day as possible.

The good news for those who suffer from “Sunday-itis” is,
the disease is short in duration and usually clears up around noon.
But the symptoms often reappear the next Sunday.

In all seriousness, there are times when people are genuinely sick, 
need rest, and should not be around others.
However, there are many who do what they want to do 
and make excuses for the things they don’t want to do.

So, the glaring question (especially for Christians) is, “Why wouldn’t we, 
like the Psalmist, be ‘glad to go into the house of the Lord?”
If someone saved us from certain death, wouldn’t we want to spend time with 
them in order to know them better and to thank them for what they did for us?
That is exactly what the Lord did for us on the cross – He saved our lives.

ACTION:
Are you finding reasons for not going into the house of the Lord?
Would those same reasons prevent you from going to work, the beach, 
the golf course, or any other event that you enjoy?
Are you just ‘existing in the church’, or are you ‘being the church’?

As Christians, we should consider attending church as
a welcomed opportunity to spend time with the Lord and other believers.
And when we attend, it is a time of worshipping the Lord, and not a time for
evaluating others or critiquing the message or delivery from the pastor.

Once we had a pastor whose sermons were so simple that I could 
work on the lesson for my bible class the next Sunday 
and never miss out on the message he was delivering.
It would have been easy to justify attending another church, or staying 
home and watching a church service on television, or just stop going 
because his message wasn’t interesting or challenging enough for me personally.

But it was a time of worship for me, and in addition, 
many were being saved as a result of what I considered ‘simple messages’, 
so obviously he was doing something right.

Paul tells us in Philippians 1, 
“the important thing is Christ is being preached”, 
and because of that, Paul rejoiced.

Do you see the trend? 
Both Paul and the Psalmist 
were excited about what was going on in the Lord’s house.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the availability of Your houses of 
worship and for those who are dedicated to sharing Your Word with 
us. Help me to remember that entering Your house is my opportunity 
to worship You with other believers, and not a task for me to check 
off my list of things that make me appear religious, and certainly not
a time to point out hypocrites or find fault with the pastor. Create in 
me the kind of gladness David had when going into the house of the 
Lord.”

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