Friday; November 8

When I was a youngster, I remember being admonished to attend church services.  (Come to think of it, “admonished” may not be a strong enough word for it.  We were going to church – and that was that.)  If there was any doubt about the weekend’s activities, we were continually reminded of our responsibility with, “… not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25).  Folks, in all honesty, I didn’t need much compulsion to go to church, as a preacher’s kid that’s where my friends and my (church) family was.  However, it wasn’t until I was a little older that I realized there was a little more to this context.  You see, the preceding section of this thought taught, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds …” (v. 23-24).  While this section doesn’t diminish our responsibility to attend worship, it also reminds us that even outside of the sanctuary, we have a responsibility to support other Christians.  Attending church services is necessary, but attending to the needs of others helps us to live up to what we say about who we are. 

Let’s do our best to be in church this weekend, but until then, let’s not overlook the opportunities to encourage our fellow man.  Who knows, when we do that, they might even be willing to join us for worship. 

Think About It!

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