Reading your Bible for today May 14

May 14: Mark 1:21-22

KJV Key Verse: Mark 1:21
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught .

Devotion:
What must it have been like to be able to go to a synagogue where Jesus was preaching? Many a time we may well shy away from church because we don't like what is being taught, or we don't like how the sermon is conducted, or we may even have a problem with someone at church. Whereas what we should be doing is seeking God's Word, wherever it is going to be faithfully taught.

We don't need to go to church to be entertained, we don't need to go to church to be forgiven by the priest, we don't even need to go to be saved. We should not need to be constantly reminded it is only through God's grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:) but we to tend to put that thought aside when we go to church!

Being brought up in a Christian family has its ups and downs, just like being brought up in a non-Christian family. Those in a Christian family may well grow to resent having to go to church all the time especially when they would rather go out and play with friends. Those in non-Christian families may find it very difficult to find someone who will take them to church especially when they are the only ones who want to go. But the aim must be to be able to find a church congregation which will teach God's Word as it has been taught faithfully by those who fear God.

We can draw many parallels between church and most activities in life where we can try to justify change by the ways in which society is changing. There are many out there who have changed God's Word to suit themselves and have grown a community from those new word. (Revelations 2:18-19) When Jesus got up and preached, He made sure people heard the truth as it was and not as how they wanted to hear it. That is exactly what we should be seeking in our lives as well – somewhere where we can hear God's Word accurately preached so we can grow in His truth. We should not be looking at all the other activities and people in that church, but at whether they are faithful to deliver God's Word as it was intended to be preached.

Points to Ponder:
What makes you go to church?

Do you diligently seek His Word?