A Joy to Worship

How blessed I am to know so many beautiful girls and women! It's the beauty that radiates from the inside out and makes them glow, and makes you desire to spend time with them. Ussually they are the encouragers, they have a kind word, a sweet smile, and when you're lucky a good hug. One of these sweet young ladies today, used as her status...I can't wait for Sunday to worship with you! How awesome is that?! I find that at times this puts me to shame. Do I spend too much of my time fussing about what to wear, how bright the lights are, or is the sound system too loud? I have to admit there are times that answer is yes, and that bothers me. Yet, overall the desire to meet with those who share a common goal of heaven overrides all of that. It's something that I have to plan for because the church building with it's bright lights and noise is among the hardest places for me to go. If you can imagine how you would feel placed under a direct spot light with a scratchy radio station playing on full speakers, that is what I feel like I deal with at church. So I save two of my pain med days for Sunday and Wednesday so I can go to worship, this also includes my very "cool dark sunglasses" and at times my ear plugs.I want to be there so much and when I'm unable to make it, it feels like a battle has been lost.

But once again,I've gotten myself sidetracked. Last Sunday, I got up and got dressed took the meds that would enable me to deal with the light and noise and successfully made it to church. There's joy in that! :

Psa 18:1-3
I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the LORD, [who is worthy] to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

Yet as we sat down next to family and crowds came in enjoying one anothers company (I love that sound, the sound of brothers and sisters catching up and loving one another, it's a sweet sound), the headache began to grow and become too much to deal with and with that came the nausea and the need to be home. I can't begin to express just how hard that is to have to get up and leave before partaking of the Lord's supper with my church family. It's a precious time to me, a time to stop and remember the sacrifice my Savior made for my sin, the pain He endured when He could so easily have said she's/they aren't worth it, and the joy in knowing because He arose we have a hope like none another. But last Sunday, I didn't get to stay for that and my sweetheart rushed me home and rushed back so he could do that.

Psalms 18:4-6
The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, [even] to His ears.

So I've gotten to a point in the last 4 years where making services isn't something that I take for granted anymore, when I get to go I'm thankful for the opprotunity. The joy to be found in seeing Christ in the faces of sweet friends, to sing songs of praise and worship with a full heart, to partake of the Lord's supper surrounded by loved ones, and to open God's word and learn from it with a building full of people whoare doing the same. There's also joy in knowing that this is happening all over the world on this day, and the close family members who live far away and brothers and sisters I've never met are all making time to do the very same thing; and there's peace in that.

Psa 18:25-27
With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that when we're given the oppprotunity to meet with the saints; we should be like my young friend who on Friday morning is sending notes out on Facebook about just how she can't wait to see her church family and be with them. It's something that we too easily can begin to take for granted or as a habit without really concentrating on the joys and blessings that come with getting to go to church.
Psa 18:46-49
The LORD lives! Blessed [be] my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
[It is] God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me;
He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.

Psa 27:4 One [thing] I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.

Act 20:7 Now on the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

1Cr 16:2 On the first [day] of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

I love Psalms 19 as well. It is filled with encouragement and blessings that come with right living, but for now I'll leave you with just one verse from that chapter, and I hope that both you and I get excited about Sunday and the opprotunity to worship that comes with it. Let's pass along that excitement to those in our home and those we come in contact with today and tomorrow. Let's see just how many we can encourage to come to the house of God.

Psalms 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.