As I think about God’s blessings I often think about those who miss them. This is especially true in regards to our services the last several months. For unexplained reasons, God has blessed us abundantly. It seems to me that every service gets better and better. I don’t know when I’ve seen such a sweet loving spirit in the church. I just wish every member would have been in the services, to share in the blessings. I don’t mean to focus on the negative, I just think it’s sad that people deprive themselves of the blessings of God. I say these things to encourage, not to rebuke.
As I think about this, I’m reminded of the time when Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection,–“But Thomas—was not with them when Jesus came.”(John 20:24). Point is—you never know what you might miss when you don’t attend a church service.
I truly feel sorry for those who want to attend church and can’t. They don’t have a choice. They are physically unable to be there. I know how I would feel were I in their place and that makes it easy for me to sympathize with them, and pray for them. But, we should also pity those who simply refuse to be in attendance. It is really sad to see people in such a bad spiritual condition that they don’t have a desire to attend church. They have a serious problem!
Those who refuse to assemble with the church are living in rebellion against God’s Word which says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together—“(Hebrews 10:25). They also violate what the Bible teaches about the Lord’s Day. They use it for self-interest, rather than worship. By the way–it’s also unfair that they leave everything church-related for someone else to do. Isn’t that selfish? With too many people it’s all take and no give!
It’s sad to see professing Christians who have no use for the church. They want the use of it, but have no use for it. They refuse to support it with their possessions, participation, or presence. Yet when they die they want their body taken to a church building that they didn’t help build; and they want songs to be sung from books that they didn’t help purchase. They want the use of the utilities without having made any contribution of their own. They want a preacher, that they refused to support, to read from a Bible, that they didn’t respect enough to obey, sweet words of comfort to their children, whom they seldom took to church, and preach that they are in a heaven that they never prepared for. Strange isn’t it? Hopefully that will never be said of you. But it’s your choice.
You can live as you please, seeking only to gratify the flesh, or you can obey the Bible and be blessed. It is your decision. Please choose wisely! Remember–the truth often hurts, it can be hard, but ignoring it is much worse. Think about it!
