Recently I was grumbling about the quality of a sermon at Church. I didn't think it was deep enough ... I didn't care for the pithy commentary ... I didn't think it was a good use of my hour I suppose. It struck me that, perhaps the Church was not the one for me ... then it struck me that perhaps I was not the right one for that Church!
Then I realized that I was becoming trapped in one of the devil's classic devices. As I grumbled about my Sunday experience, I was really exposing how I drifted in my Monday through Saturday relationship with God. I had drifted from reading the Bible, praying to God, and contemplating His grace. I had moved work ahead of my relationship with God, and had begun to slide back towards the anxieties and frustrations that come from relying on self-actions and efforts.
As I thought about my reaction to the Church service on Sunday, I realized that the selfless worship and participation in Christian community was lost on me that day. I wanted to be entertained. I wanted to be taught. I wanted to get my religious fix so to speak. My mistake really did not happen that Sunday. My mistake was the Monday through Saturday when I was missing out on the most important thing in my life. Idolatry had crept in, and I was blaming others. I was drifting towards the man of the world, instead of evolving to be the man I was designed to become.
We all face daily rigors and challenges. Work, kids, home ... it all adds up. Time is precious and it is easy for the anxieties to creep in. The more we try, the harder it gets. We are designed to rely on the supernatural, not try to be Superman ourselves. How well we commune with God and how much we comprehend His grace has a direct impact on how our hearts react to things around us. If you find yourself filled with awe and worship on Sunday, then you know that you are close to God. If you find yourself sliding into the worldly pattern of judgment and condemnation, then chances are you have a Monday through Saturday problem in how you are engaging God.
We are not designed to go it alone. Participate Monday through Saturday, and then feel the impact each and every Sunday!
“...so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”