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June 13 Daily Devotional

Hunger after God’s Word

Frans Bakker

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is. —Hebrews 10:25

Bible Reading

Hebrews 10:19–25

Devotional

Many people easily neglect going to church. They are not interested in attending. Adapting the worship services to the tastes of people or shortening them will not change this evil. For these people, the world will always be more attractive and time will always fly quicker in the world than in church. We do not need an attractive worship service to accommodate the natural man. We need an honest ministry of the Word in which people are frankly told that by nature they are without God. By the Spirit’s grace, this will stimulate the soul to hunger after God. Such an approach will be more beneficial in drawing people to church than trying to please them.

“Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.” Neglecting church services shows that you do not have hunger for the Word of God. You show that you despise the spiritual well-being of your soul and that the day of salvation is not important for you. The Lord has given us His day so that we may learn to see what is beneficial for our well-being. It is a slap in God’s face to reject His offered redemption.

It will be terrible in a little while to hear from the heavenly Judge: “I have sent ministers of the gospel to preach redemption to you, but while they were preaching, you were out hiking or sleeping.” You will then regret forever that you left your place unoccupied in the house of worship. Do not try to excuse yourself by saying that you have no desire and that you cannot just go to church out of custom. It is still a good custom. And besides that, the destiny of your immortal soul is at stake.

Will going to church earn salvation for us? Let such an idea be far from us. The true Christian can be fearful that he still will perish while he has been a regular church attendee. There is no merit in our church attendance. But what is found in church attendance is food and nourishment for an empty and guilty soul. Those who understand these things will also know the blessing that comes from serving the Lord in love in the house of the Lord. Going to church will result in a blessed Lord’s Day when the Word of God affects the heart of him who attends. Then they can say, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures” (Ps. 36:8). Then you say, “I cannot neglect the assemblies of the congregation. I cannot stay away because there I have a foretaste of the blessed life in heaven. I wish to be in God’s house, even if I were only the doorkeeper.” Then you come to the house of the Lord moved by your hunger, for your heart and flesh cry out to the living God!

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.

 

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