Hmmm...

Just some thoughts I've been having after a conversation about length of worship service on Sunday. My thoughts aren't on any particular service at any particular church... Just thinking... I was surprised to hear people in the congregation at a church complaining about the length of service- it being too long. Would someone REALLY COMPLAIN about that? Well, apparently so. In fact, it must be more than one person if the pastor of a church thinks that he has to "watch" his time. Do you think this is REALLY giving WORSHIP to our LORD? Is this how Jesus would preach? Watching the clock and worrying about how long He's taking up of people's day? I'm just wondering... how far away are we from where we SHOULD be? None of this is to point wrong fingers at anyone... I KNOW there are Sundays when my mind just wanders off and I am thinking about what is to come..... BUT... that's NOT how I want to be and my heart is not where it should be on those days. So... How do I (we?) get back to that THIRST... that DESIRE that I know I once had to just DEVOUR the WORD. I remember ANXIOUSLY anticipating the message on a Sunday Morning and completely looking forward to sitting IN HIS PRESENCE and in the presence of other believers. To truly FELLOWSHIP. To FOLLOWSHIP. To be a part of the BIG C Church. Where am I now? Am I close to there? I do know one thing... I know how to get back. Whenever I feel like I am not in NEED of His Word... whenever I feel like I'd rather be elsewhere, the guaranteed solution is to just get myself back into the Word. When I'm out of it, I don't need it (or think I have other things to be doing). When I'm IN it... I AM IN IT! It is there! It is LIVING! It is TALKING! It is making me WANT MORE!!!! LOVE IT!

So, how do we answer those who have better things to do on a Sunday than WORSHIP the KING of KINGS???? To those who will actually COMPLAIN about being in HIS PRESENCE for LONGER... WHERE is the DESIRE???? WHERE is the NEED??? Was it ever there? Only God will no the answer to that question... But, shouldn't we as Followers and Worshippers look at it as STRANGE that someone WOULDN'T desire LONGER time in the Word? Shouldn't we ENCOURAGE and SUPPORT the DESIRE to learn and be in fellowship and in worship as long as we can??? Rather than apologizing for a long sermon- shouldn't we apologize for not being able to learn from the God Breathed Inspired WORD ALL DAY LONG???? I think it would be WONDERFUL if it was strange for someone to want to leave church on Sunday! How wonderful would it be if people were SO ON FIRE for God - SO EXCITED to be in church - SO THRILLED to be in Fellowship that nothing could stop them. Wouldn't THAT kind of excitement be contagious, be something that others would WANT? Wouldn't that, in and of itself, be such an AMAZING testament of our LOVE for Him that we wouldn't even have to worry about TELLING someone about Jesus because they would SEE the love we have for Him!

I keep thinking about Mary and Martha for some reason today. I keep thinking about what Jesus Himself said about learning from Him! Martha was preparing the house and meals for Jesus and His disciples and "all" Mary was doing was sitting at His feet "listening to His word" (Luke 10:39b). Martha complained because she was working and felt probably a little jealous and hurt that Mary wasn't.... But even though what Martha was doing were GOOD things for Jesus and she had a servant's heart, Jesus gives us insight into how important our desire to learn from Him is- Luke 10:42 is a direct quote from Jesus: "but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." LISTENING TO HIS WORD- Jesus, GOD With Skin On!, tells us it's "THE GOOD PART". PEOPLE! Let's SIT at his feet! Let's NOT worry about what stores we have to go to, what meals we have to prepare, how much laundry is at home, what football game is on.... EVEN if some of those are GOOD things, HOW MUCH BETTER is Sitting at HIS FEET for as long as we can and LEARNING His ways????

We have all heard the story of the loaves and fishes. But WHY did Jesus need to perform the miracle??? The crowd was listening to Jesus all day and being healed by Him. The disciples said, "... the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." But Jesus said to them, 'They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!'" Matthew 14:15b-16 The crowds stayed ALL DAY and into the NIGHT! That's the THIRST! That's the DESIRE! For His Word is what is necessary, food is secondary.

And, we're complaining about a 45 minute teaching on The Word????? REALLY PEOPLE????