Has Christianity
become a chore? For a lot of men it has. In most churches the number of women
is greater than the number of men. It appears that Christianity or church is
just another chore for many men. This was my attitude for a season. I worked a
lot of Sundays because there was work that needed to be done on the ranch. My
attitude didn’t change quickly. For a time, shooting trap and bird hunting was more
important than Christianity. Those activities brought me joy. Unfortunately my
heart toward God was cold. Christianity became a chore without much joy.
I’m writing this
from our couch where I’m ill, but I’m grateful for this illness because in it
I’m reminded to enjoy God. Perhaps one of the reasons God takes our physical
strength away is to remind us to enjoy him. Enjoying God is the best we can do
in situations like this, and may be the only thing we are able to do. I didn’t
have the strength to preach last Sunday, and haven’t felt well enough to leave
my house. However, I can enjoy God by singing to him, praying for you, reading
my Bible, and meditating upon his wondrous grace and faithfulness.
As a church, have
we forgotten to enjoy God? Think about the first line of the Westminster
Shorter Catechism: “What is the chief end of man? Answer: “Man’s chief end is
to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Glorifying God is not complete
without enjoying him. Remember Lazarus’s sister Mary? She enjoyed God, but
Martha was too busy for Jesus.
Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him
as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and
listened to what he said. But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my
sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.” But the
Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42, NET).
Mary chose to
enjoy Jesus instead of the chores, and she made the best choice. Who do you
think made the best choice? Was it Martha who was busy working, or was it Mary?
Mary wasn’t afraid of Martha, the Lord had walked into her house and she was
going to savor each moment. Perhaps the better question is, why isn’t Martha
enjoying Jesus with Mary? And why don’t we enjoy Jesus like Mary did?
Philippians 4:4
reads “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Paul wrote that
with enthusiasm because he had learned how to enjoy God in every circumstance.
And now he tells the Philippians, and us, to always rejoice in the Lord. Enjoy
God in your poverty, or in your wealth. Enjoy God in your sickness, or in your
health. We must learn to enjoy God at all times without letting circumstances
get in the way. Martha allowed kitchen work to pull her away from joy in
Christ. You may allow your job to pull you away. Whatever it is that is pulling
you away from enjoying God at home, and with your church family, set it aside
and come back to Jesus.
As we begin 2016
we could start a new list of chores, but all that matters is Jesus. If you make
a list, put Jesus at #1. Determine to enjoy him every day of your life in 2016,
enjoy him by hearing his word read, preached, and taught. Enjoy him as you pray
to him. Enjoy him as you worship him at home and with our church family. Enjoy
him when we take communion. Enjoy him as you care for your children or your
grandchildren. Set aside time each day to spend with Jesus, to read and to pray.
Then the next day, do it all over again.
