Friday, July 16, 2010

Do You Love Church...or God?

I had to miss church the other Sunday. I hate missing church! But my 6 yr old crushed her finger in a door Saturday night, and the pediatrician on call said to bring her in Sunday morning. Thankfully I did, as she had a fracture. But I hate missing church.

I was in a gloomy mood all day Sunday. Spending 4 hours in the ER is bad enough to do that to anyone. But it was the missing church. I love church. I love singing the praise songs, it's a huge time of worship for me. I love the learning opportunity of the sermon. I love fellowship. I love Sunday School. I love church!

So as I was brooding on Sunday, I felt a nudge in my heart. "Do you love church, or do you love Me? Because I'm always available." Um, God? Truth is I don't have to go to church to hear and sing praise music. I can turn on my radio, or even find it on the internet. The sermon I can hear online later this week. I can read my Bible for my own learning opportunties anytime.

The truth is, the reason I am starving for church on Sundays, is most likely because I haven't fed myself enough on God during the week. So Sunday is like a feast to me, an oasis in the desert. Like my guest contributor said last week, I am "forgetting to eat" during the week, and simply filling myself on Sundays.

Don't get me wrong, I think attending church is important! God said to remember the Sabboth and keep it holy. The Bible also says not to give up meeting together, but to encourage one another. Church is important! But if you can't get to church, whether you be home-bound, or hospital bound with a 6 yr old, it's good to know that God is always available.

God is everywhere. Not just at church. So spend some time worshipping Him and learning about Him daily, not just Sunday. With the help of God, I am.


Chatty Kelly

7 comments:

Sharon Sloan - Joy In The Truth said...

Oh I hope her little finger is healing well!

Remembering the Sabbath and our Savior in our hearts daily. Oh yes. I love church, too. Gathering together to worship, soak in the Word and fellowship. I feel a little disconnected if we miss church. But you are right, daily, moment-by-moment abiding in the Lord is what satisfies.

Kisses to her precious little finger,
Sharon

Sue J. said...

Waiting rooms are a great place to bring the Bible and/or a Bible study. Of course, if you are ministering to your 6-year-old at the time, there's not going to be focus on anything else, nor should there be! (She seems to be doing great!!)

We can definitely love church too much, and that can lead to problems with taking on service opportunities we shouldn't or starting ministries simply to stay connected with church. God and God alone needs to be our first ("and all these things shall be added unto you....").

Mocha with Linda said...

We both have girls with broken fingers!

This is one of those posts where you "quit preaching and started meddling!" LOL

Yaya Yarns said...

AMEN!! I love it, what an uplifting word!

\o/ Morning, Noon, and Night \o/

Rebecca (me!) said...

Oh....I love it....when God's voice overshadows the noise in this world. Thanks for speaking to me! I've been brooding all day....

Collette@Jesuslovesmums said...

I agree we can love church too much and focus on people rather than God. Sometimes I need to be careful that I am not putting the people in my church on pedestals and need to ensure all my decisions about service are made after prayer and not just what is expected of me.
Collette x

Miss Janice said...

Kelly,
You have a beautiful family and a beautiful blog! Like you, I hate missing church on Sundays. I feel terrible guilt! I also actually LOVE going to church!

You asked about my monogramming...an obsession I've had since I was a teeenager:) I usually have items I purchase online monogrammed by the vendor if possible or I take the pieces locally to have it done. It's not easy to find someone today who does monogramming:) Good luck to you!