For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.
—Amos 5:4-5 (KJV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Do you "go to church"? I hope not! Now don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating you skip worship and fellowship this Sunday! We're told not to forsake gathering together as believers (Hebrews 10:25). But when we assemble as a body of believers, we're gathering together for encouragement and meeting with God. We're not GOING to church; we ARE the church! (The New Testament never used the word church to refer to a building!) God warned his people in Old Testament times that simply going to the places of worship was worthless. Instead, they needed to seek him! I believe that is exactly what God would have us do. And as we seek him together, we get to share fellowship, comfort, and encouragement with each other.
My Prayer...
Holy and loving Father, as I face the struggles of this week, it is comforting to know that I am never away from your love. At the same time, I love those special moments when I meet with other Christians and your presence is powerful and real. I know you are always with us when we gather together, but sometimes my heart or my circumstance or the situations going on in our church family derail my awareness of your presence. This week, dear Father, I pray for our worship assembly to be vibrant and powerful. I pray for your presence to be palpably near. I pray that you will be honored by what my brothers and sisters and I do to encourage each other and praise you. Please use this day to draw us near to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
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—Amos 5:4-5 (KJV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Do you "go to church"? I hope not! Now don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating you skip worship and fellowship this Sunday! We're told not to forsake gathering together as believers (Hebrews 10:25). But when we assemble as a body of believers, we're gathering together for encouragement and meeting with God. We're not GOING to church; we ARE the church! (The New Testament never used the word church to refer to a building!) God warned his people in Old Testament times that simply going to the places of worship was worthless. Instead, they needed to seek him! I believe that is exactly what God would have us do. And as we seek him together, we get to share fellowship, comfort, and encouragement with each other.
My Prayer...
Holy and loving Father, as I face the struggles of this week, it is comforting to know that I am never away from your love. At the same time, I love those special moments when I meet with other Christians and your presence is powerful and real. I know you are always with us when we gather together, but sometimes my heart or my circumstance or the situations going on in our church family derail my awareness of your presence. This week, dear Father, I pray for our worship assembly to be vibrant and powerful. I pray for your presence to be palpably near. I pray that you will be honored by what my brothers and sisters and I do to encourage each other and praise you. Please use this day to draw us near to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Continue reading...
