I almost gave in to laziness this morning. My Beloved has been down with the flu and wasn't going to church today, so the decision to go rested with me. I had set the alarm for 6:30, but when morning came, I reluctantly crawled out of bed at 7:00, needing to arrive by 9:00. It's a half hour drive to our church, it was a foggy morning, I hadn't slept well, and on and on my reasoning went.I'm not a morning person, so I reminded myself that I never actually like to get up--no matter what the day holds. It always takes me about a half hour to shake that feeling loose. I knew I would be sorry if I slept in and failed to attend corporate worship with my church family. So sheer self-discipline strong-armed me out of bed.
And I am glad. I arrived on time for our Sunday School class, which I had prepared for during the week. It was good to hear the discussion on Jonah and be reminded of God's sovereignty and universal grace and mercy. The worship service that followed was uplifting and encouraging, and I believe was a sweet fragrance to Christ.
I believe also that the effort I had made to be there was interwoven into my personal worship. It was a sacrifice of praise to my Lord. God wants our obedience, and He wants us to gather together with fellow believers. I hope you were able to meet with your church family today. I hope you have a church family. It's important for the well-being of all of us.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Painting ~ Asleep, Karl Holsoe 1863-1935
