The psalmist wrote, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD’ (Psalm 122:1)." It should always be exhilarating and exciting being in church. The joy of being in church with God’s people is a result of a right heart relationship with God. When you find church a drag and God’s people a bore it could very well be a problem in your spiritual walk with God.
The psalmist, David, had a hunger and thirst for God that was insatiable. He wrote, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2)." And throughout the psalms you find where David had a heart for God. That’s why he was glad when it was time to go into the house of the Lord.
When the thought “going to church” enters your mind, what is your immediate response or reaction? Are you glad and excited and can’t wait to be in church or do you think there are a million other things you could be doing or want to do? That’s a telltale sign of your fellowship with God. We can attend church and still not have the joy of the Lord in doing so. Therefore, it is imperative that we engage in an all consuming passion for and pursuit of God, by spending time every day reading His Word and “…praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:19)." When that’s our passion we can sing with the psalmist, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord!”
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Mark Grooms
