HOUSE OF GOD
READ: Luke 2:41-51
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Psalm 84:1-2
When you love the house of God, you will consider it such an honour to go to the house of God. David felt that God was favouring him when he allowed him to go to church. Some people consider it a great privilege when they have a chance to go for a holiday in the Bahamas. Others consider it a great honour if they have a chance to go on a cruise. Yet still, there are those who consider it a special honour to have the chance to go shopping in Paris.
If you love the Lord, you will have strong feelings about church. Strong feelings are a sign of love! David described very strong feelings for the house of God. David said he was fainting because of the house of God. He described how his heart and his flesh were both crying out for the living God. These strong feelings for the house of God are the greatest evidence of your love. Your great love for anything is evidenced by the strong feelings you have for it.
Jesus Christ was lost. His parents could not find Him for three days. They checked in all the fish and chips bars but He was not there. They checked in his school friend’s house and they checked other carpentry shops and businesses in the area, but Jesus was not there. Eventually, they found Jesus Christ in the church (Luke 2:46). He simply pointed out to his parents that there was only one place that He could possibly be in his spare time, and that was in church.
If you love the Lord, you will be found in the church – the place where your lover is. When they search for you, they will find you in the house of God.