Friday, August 3, 2018

A Reason to Rejoice

Certain events in our lives bring different responses. Years ago, a smile would race across my face, and my heart would beat a little faster if someone would ask me to spend the day riding a bicycle with them over the hills to Los Gatos for lunch. It would take about nine hours for the 120-mile trip, not including lunch.
Now, if someone were to ask me to ride a bicycle to a nearby town for lunch, a smile would race across my face, and my heart would send a message to my brain and ask, “Are they serious? You’re an old man now.” But the memories will remain with me forever and bring me joy when I think of the rides I once took around Monterey Bay.
All of us store up memories of one kind or another. Some are pleasant and others painful. Some remind us of lessons that were difficult to learn yet made us much wiser than we once were. And some leave us with stories we like to share because they are simply too wonderful to forget.
David was that way when he thought about going to the House of the Lord. “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord,’” are the words he wrote on one occasion. Notice that he used the word “rejoiced.” The very thought of going to a place of worship caused him to rejoice.
Worship was important to him. It was at the center of his life and kept him close to the Lord. When his friends said, “Let’s get together and worship,” he would get excited.
It’s very different today. Too few people find too little joy when they are invited to worship. Faithfulness to Christ and the obligation to gather for worship are no longer important. But those who truly love the Lord will always find the time and a way to worship Him.
Prayer: Lord, our love for You is reflected in our worship of You. May our hearts rejoice whenever we recall times of worship. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Psalm 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

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