Be honest. When was the last time you could say you were
glad to go to church? We attend church
for a variety of reasons, but do we do so out of gladness? Are you so connected with Christ that you
can't wait to get to church?
Does the stuff of life
sap the gladness out of you? It is easy
to let life determine our attitude in worship.
We can focus on the things of life, or we can focus our thoughts on God. What we focus on determines whether or not
gladness follows us as we gather for worship.
Gladness is not
something we can manufacture for special events. It is rooted in the heart and flows from
it. It is nurtured by living
consistently in relationship with Christ every day. Gladness is rooted in thankfulness. The more grateful you are for Christ in your
life, the more naturally gladness will flow from your heart. Consider the goodness and blessings of the
Lord and watch your heart bubble with gladness.
Do people sap the
gladness out of you? People are not
always easy to get along with, even in church.
There are issues that arise that cause us to not want to be around
certain people. Some have personality
traits that rub us the wrong way.
Regardless of the situation, let me ask you this, "Do you gather
for worship to be with people or with the Lord?
Is your focus on the people that surround you or on God who envelopes
you?" When God is the focus of our
worship, then gladness can drive our worship.
Does sin sap the
gladness out of you? We all sin and it
has an adverse effect on us. It dampens
our souls. We are plagued by guilt and
shame. God seems so far away. The only remedy of our sin problem is to
confess them before the Lord, ask Him to forgive us, and determine in our
hearts to go and sin no more. When our hearts
are pure before God, there is a spring in our steps; gladness floods our souls.
Does weariness sap the
gladness out of you? Learn the meaning
of the word no when there is too much on your plate and get some rest for your
soul. No one can maintain gladness of
heart when they are physically and mentally worn out and frazzled.
"I was glad when
they said to me, Let us go to the house of the LORD."
No comments:
Post a Comment