God used the prophet, Amos, to point out how His people would often desire the sabbath to end. Stating that they just looked forward to being able to resume their normal activities and for many, this meant cheating to get ahead. They were more interested in getting back to the world than doing the things of God.
Amos 8:5 (ESV)
5 saying, “When will the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,
Amos 8:5 (NLT)
5 You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out grain with dishonest measures and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales.
Many so-called Christians live in a very similar way today. Instead of being thankful for the time they have to praise and grow in their relationship with God beside other believers, they count down the minutes until the pastor will release them back into the world they truly love.
While this may sound harsh it is simply the truth. If you cannot wait for the church to end you need to ask yourself why. Do you not value the opportunity to fellowship with God and His people? Would you rather spend time doing the things of the world than the things of God? What is it that causes you to watch the clock waiting for the moment that you get to walk out the door?
The answer is probably going to point to your desire to do something in the world, which is the sign of a major issue in one’s faith, showing that you still love the things of the world. This is a problem because it is directly spoken against in our Bibles.
1 John 2:15–16 (ESV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Someone who claims to be a Christian cannot love the things of things world. Our focus cannot be on stuff, hobbies, or anything else. Especially when it comes to the times that our focus should solely be on God. Like when we are at church.
While we have used the desire for the church to end as the primary example for this article, this same principle applies to any Christian activity like reading scripture, praying, sharing the Gospel, etc. If you are doing something Godly and can’t wait until you can stop and resume doing the things of the world, you have a problem. One that you need to address before it spirals out of control.
When we love God, His commands are not a burden and neither are the things we do to fellowship with and serve Him. All the things of God work for own personal good. They take us to a place that the things of the world never can. Heaven where we live out the eternal life God has promised those who believe.
1 John 5:3 (ESV)
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
If you want to find yourself in heaven where pain and suffering have been taken away and you will spend eternity in peace with God. Then you cannot be more interested in the things of this world than the things of the Lord. In fact, if you love the world then you will hate heaven because the two will be nothing alike.
Have this realization today while there is still time and embrace the things of God. Forsake the things of this world and no longer be consumed with desires for what lies outside the church. The things of this life will only lead you away from God and in the end, will pass away. But the things of a God draw you closer to Him and will be the very things that remain forever.
1 John 2:17 (ESV)
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
2 Peter 3:10 (ESV)
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Don’t spend another minute in church anticipating the end and believing it is normal. That is not the way any Christian should feel. Know it is a problem and a sign that your life is not right with the God you claim to love. Make the decision to remove whatever it is drawing you away from Godly things and keep yourself planted in the church. Don’t miss out on eternal life in heaven because you didn’t want to miss out on a second on earth.
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