e live in an age in which religion is taken lightlyl, yet medical and self-improvement attention are not. People are swift to set their television to watch Dr. Phil and Oprah. However, Iv'e seen people move at a slower pace when it comes to keeping an appointment that's vital to their spiritual, mental, and psychological health--their appointment with God.The Bible says: “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God” (Exodus 20:8-10, KJV). Adventist Christians are called to have one day a week spent away from the demands of work and society. But this time is not to be taken lightly or spent frivolously. It is to be spent preparing for their appointment with God. Every Sabbath morning we are scheduled to congregate in an edifice dedicated to God and worship Him. Keeping this appointment can be vital to our spiritual health and mental solace. Worshipping in God’s presence reminds us who we are.
Spiritual Health
When I was growing up, I noticed how, on Sabbath morning, a certain number of people would sneak into church during the sermon and slip into a seat to the side of the sanctuary or in the back row. When I started college I was occasionally one of those people. Still, I used to wonder why others arrived late to service.
As I age, I realize that there are a lot of reasons. I know that in my case, it was because I was tired from the week’s events. I regarded being tired on Sabbath as a valid reason to sleep in. During my college years, people who slept in on Sabbath and missed the church service responded with a quip when their friends asked them where they’d gone to church. “I went to Bedside Adventist,” they’d say. I never used the quip because I usually made it to worship. Nonetheless, I’d make it to the church service a while after worship had begun.
Sneaking into a back row, near the exit in order to be incognito because I was late to the service, was not a major issue of concern for me until one day I realized that my priorities were skewed. I became conscious that I was missing a golden opportunity as I savored those extra hours of sleep. Each time I was late to church or skipped it I was missing a divinely appointed meeting with my Maker, Redeemer, and Savior. Then I realized, God didn’t “sleep in” when sin entered the world and we needed salvation. He sent His Son Jesus into this world to offer us hope and save our souls from eternal death.
Mental Solace
God has promised that He “hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7, KJV). We live in troubled times. We should take every opportunity to seek God in times of peace because there will come a day when we are unable to worship freely. When we go to church, we have a chance to be in the presence of God.
Remembering Who We Are
We’re all God’s children. God loves us each equally and in full. He loves us so much that He’s set aside a day for us to rest from work and celebrate Him in His glory and through His creation. Of course, we can commune with God throughout the week, but He’s set aside one special day where we can receive special attention as we worship with fellow believers in His house. Why would you want to sleep late and be tardy to a meeting with the Creator of the universe?
The benefits of meeting with God once a week may not be monetary or worldly—but the dividends are eternal.
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