Sunday Seed Thoughts: Faith-Living

You may have seen this sign upon entering a church building that was popular for many years.

Enter to Worship. Leave to Serve.

Today, as we assemble in our respective places of worship there will be an emphasis on scriptural worship “in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:23-24). The songs we sing, the prayers we offer, the scriptures we read, the sermons we hear and the communion in which we engage will all be based on “The Faith” (Eph. 4:4).

But what about when we leave the church building?

Years ago I clipped a cartoon from a paper that showed a little boy walking with his parents as they were leaving a worship service. The lad looked up at his Dad and asked, “Is it ok if I act normal now that we’re out of church?”

While we chuckle and understand what the boy meant, I wonder if we too often leave a worship service and just return to normal? Old ways of living. Same bad habits. Regular routine. With little thought about what we’ve heard or the object of our worship who ought to impact and improve our lives.

Worship ought to challenge our faith. Increase our faith. Grow our faith. Make our faith a reality in our daily lives. William Thackeray was right, “It’s not dying for faith that is so hard; it’s living up to it.” “The business of faith,” observed Oswald Chambers, “is to convert Truth into reality.” What good is a Sunday morning faith that doesn’t work on Monday?

What good is a faith that…
…Fails to do good?
…Doesn’t improve our relationships?
…Isn’t applied in the marketplace?
…Flounders in the face of fear?
…Doesn’t make the home stronger?
…Ignore God’s standard of righteousness?
…Allows doubt to dissipate hope?
…Forgets God?
…Takes for granted His blessings?
…Returns to worldly ways of living?
…Disregards the needs of others?
…Neglects spiritual growth?

While none of us are sinlessly perfect, and we’re all at different stages in our walk of faith, let’s not leave worship today and forget who we are. Or why we’re here. And where we’re going.

Let us fashion the faith we profess into the faith we practice.

–Ken Weliever, , The Preacherman