Ask Yourself, Why Are You Going To Church Today?

Seriously, why are you going to church today? Is it because you have such great friends there and you enjoy hanging out with them? Is is because it is what other people are expecting of you? Is it because you are simply following in the footsteps of your parents? Is it because you have experienced God there in the past and you just want to experience that again? I think that at least a quarter of the people going to church this morning don't really know why they are going.

We go because we are the children of the God of promises. We go because God is faithful to the promises he has given us. We go because our hearts are overflowing with thanksgiving for these many promises that are applied to our lives. We go because we  desire to worship our God of the promises. His faithfulness goes beyond our failings. It even goes beyond our unfaithfulness. It goes beyond the darkness of sin. It reaches down into the depths of the deepest caves and up to the heights of the tallest mountain tops. It even reaches to the far side of the oceans. His promises go wherever we can imagine going because his is an unfailing love.

The psalmist understood the faithfulness of God as he reminded him of his promises to David:

For the sake of David your servant,
   do not reject your anointed one.

The LORD swore an oath to David,
   a sure oath that he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
   I will place on your throne—
      if your sons keep my covenant
   and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
   on your throne for ever and ever.” (Psalm 132:10-12)


We can be such a foolish people, running about, trying to save ourselves, trying to find our own solutions, behaving as if we are all on our own. What crazy nonsense from the children of the one who created everything. Do we think he lacks the power or is it his will of which we are not convinced? Do we not realize that every promise ever uttered by God is applied to every generation of his children? Are we not yet convinced of his love? Was Jesus, the cross and the empty grave not enough for us?

The Word says:

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6)

We do not call on the promises because we do not know the promises. We lack knowledge and we are perishing because of it. We are wandering around in the dark, falling into great pits, hurting ourselves for no reason. If we knew the promises we would remind God and find our joy in his faithfulness. If we knew the promises we would enter worship this morning with hearts that are exploding with worship and praise. We would live in great confidence and boldness. Our worry and fear would disappear and anxiety would find no foot hold in us. We would walk the streets with a smile on our face and a song in our heart. No matter what life would bring our way we would handle it with the promises of God. He is faithful. He never fails us. All he asks is for our trust and obedience.

Why are you going to church today? I don't know about you but I am going to worship my Jesus with a grateful heart because he continues to cover me in the promises of God.