Psalm 100:3 “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” (NIV)
This prolonged pandemic has impacted all of us spiritually. In our imposed isolation, we’ve developed a sense of religious independence and some folks now don’t see the need of being part of a congregation or denomination anymore. We’ve managed to survive this long without the church programs or projects influencing our lives and using up our precious time. God understands that we’ve become self-reliant on our own ideas, opinions, and choices. We’re still loosely attached to Him, but only when we really need God to help us. We’re making our own way and asking God to follow along.
We have forgotten that we are creatures and not the creator of ourselves. The purpose of our lives always has been and will be to worship God and enjoy His creation. Somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that being in church is not necessary so long as we are being church. That’s never been true – after all, Jesus was always in the synagogue every week on the Sabbath and His apostles always gathered together for Sunday worship after the first Easter.
There’s also a dangerous side to this religious individualism and church independence. Prophetic churches with cult-like leaders are on the increase. People with no sound Biblical teaching are more gullible of accepting conspiracy theories and being manipulated by unscrupulous ‘prophets’ who make outrageous claims and that God is only interested in one particular nation. Those false teachers are leading many astray, which is precisely what Christ and His Apostles constantly warned His followers about.
So, today, I make this invitation: get back to church, be with God’s people, and seek sound teaching. As the psalmist wrote long ago: Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Q: When was the last time I attended worship at a local church?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us better than ourselves and clearly see how vain we are. Help us to reconnect with Your Church, so that we can grow spiritually through worship and sound teaching. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.
Today’s image is one of John’s old psalm drawings based on a verse from Psalm 85. If you would like to view a larger version, please click here.