Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”
Our Bible verse for today: “As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (CSB)
Our thought for today: “Set a good example”
Recently I’ve been seeing an increasing number of articles being written, published, and shared by church leaders regarding the worsening problem of church attendance in the USA. The other day there was a new one, this one shared by a missionary friend of mine on Facebook. In this article the author’s point was that as far as he was concerned, church attendance is non-negotiable for him and his family. Attending church is more important to him than virtually anything else going on in life and therefore it takes priority over everything else including likes a minor sickness, social or recreational activities, house guests, or anything else.
He wrote that American Christians have become entirely too casual in our church attendance. We’ve become willing to skip church for far too many reasons, and I agree. When I was growing up my mother was adamant about church attendance. We all went, all the time, no matter what. If we had house guests staying with us, they were invited to go to church with us. If they didn’t want to go, then they could wait for us to get back home, but my mother and her children were going to church. And to this day my mother’s good example continues to influence me. The example of her faithfulness was indelibly imprinted in my memory banks and has borne fruit in my own life ever since.
That’s what Joshua was talking about in Joshua 24:15. In that scene he had just finished telling the people that they would have to make their own choices about the practice of their faith but as for him and his family, they were going to honor the Lord regardless of whether others did or not.
When it comes to taking care of each other, especially those who are close to you such as family members, one of the most important things you can do is to set a good example for them in how you practice your own faith – including in your church attendance habits.
Christians often talk about how we want our nation to be faithful to God, and we want our children and grandchildren, our friends and neighbors, to faithfully follow Jesus. That’s good, but it starts with us as individuals. You have to be diligently faithful yourself first before you can expect others to be. Those close to you are watching, and they are being impacted by what they see you doing. Your example matters, so be sure to set a good one.
Oak Hill Baptist Church