Don't Make Church an Option

There is only one word to describe Friday and it's Yee-Haw. It was one bad, nauseous day. Saturday and Sunday are usually bad days as well, but this round those days were much better.

A few days ago I shared with you that attending church has not always been on my priority list. I've been trying to figure out why and this is what I've discovered.

1. My week has always been so busy that on Sundays I enjoyed resting. I liked the fact that I didn't have to rush some where or leave the house.

2. I felt uncomfortable in church as if I didn't belong.

3. I'd see hypocrites in church. These people acted like Christians on Sundays, but at work on Monday were buttheads.

4. I thought I could just pray at home.

I'm not sure if you have ever struggled with these excuses, but I relied on them for years. What I noticed the past few months is I was wrong.

1. Church only takes a few hours out of your day. You can always rest when you get home from church. You have to make it a priority and a habit. If you get out of the routine of going to church you won't continue going. Treat it like you would working out. Set a time, get in the habit and go.

2. I found out that I do belong. I've been reading and now understand what the Priest is preaching. The examples he uses in his sermons are no longer foreign to me.

3. I realize that people who go to church really participate all week long. I went to a church function the other day and it was packed. Also, what does it matter if hypocrites go to the church? They are just people. I should be more worried about growing in my faith and less worried about everyone else.

4. I may pray at home, but when I go to church I give God my undivided attention for the length of the sermon. I know that when I pray at home I may say a little prayer but quickly get distracted by the TV and phone. Also, it gives me the opportunity to listen to an expert explain the bible. I may have read a story in the bible and understood it, but the Priest is always able to bring up a point I never thought of before. I always leave church with a new understanding of an old story.

Going to church helps me grow in my faith, gives me the opportunity to fellowship with other believers, and most importantly, praise God. How could I not go to church?

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24