Excuses, Excuses

The following poem by an unknown author appeared in a religious paper sometime last century.

We're a mile and a half from church you know,
And it rains today, so we can't go;
We’d go ten miles to a dance or show,
Though the rain should fall and the winds should blow,
But the church is different, we'd have you know,
That's why when it rains, we just can't go.

Isn't it amazing the excuses some will come up with when they "miss church"? The sniffles that are so bad Sunday morning aren't enough to keep one home from work on Monday. Try calling in to work in order to go shopping sometime, and see what response you get from your boss. Or maybe you just stayed up too late Thursday night, and Friday's work day starts too early to make it on time. Would your boss care if you were habitually late or absent from work? Do you think Christ cares when one treats His church for which He died so flippantly?

In general, the church is not as valued by its members as it should be. The psalmist exclaimed, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord" (Psalm 122:1). When is the last time you let someone else know how happy you were that it was Sunday, and how excited you were to gather together with the saints of God?

The church serves a very important role in our spiritual welfare, encouraging us and building us up. "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:23-25).

The church of our Lord deserves more respect, more admiration, more love than many people give it. Let us esteem Christ's church in our hearts and lives, and do whatever we can to promote the truth of the Word to all those around us.

Please Note: I will be starting a new job today, so I will not be able to respond to comments as quickly as I have over the past several days. I still welcome your comments, but do not expect a quick reply.