Is there someone you continue to follow or are friends with because they can do something for you? Does what someone can do for you effect how often you speak to them? If they stop doing for you, do you stop interacting with them? Is that your relationship with God?
We all know someone who hangs around with others only as long as others will do something for them. When people stop doing for them, they move on to someone else. We may not like them taking advantage of people. We may refuse to help them.
But do we do the same with God? It seems the more wealth we acquire, the less likely we are to continue to follow God. We don’t have to be wealthy, just be able to live comfortably. Having a good job and not worrying about paying our bills is enough to cause us to depend less on God. Having a talent or skill that gives a feeling of accomplishment can be enough.
Large crowds would follow Jesus, not because He was preaching and teaching the good news, but because He was healing the sick and casting out demons. It was what they could see with their own eyes that caused them to follow Him. They wanted to see amazing miracles happen. They wanted to see things not seen before.
We may do the same with a pastor. As long as the pastor uses props, colorful graphics, or other gimmicks that entertain us, we continue to attend worship services. We may not be growing in our relationship with God, but we enjoy what we see. If this is why we go to church, we are being just like the large crowds following Jesus. Might I suggest we change our mindset and go to worship services to worship God and grow our relationship with him.
I pray we all go to worship services. I pray we go to hear a message from the Word of God. I pray each one of us go to church to worship God and grow our relationship with him. Worship God. Increase your knowledge of God. Build your relationship with God.
John 6:1-2 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.
Marty Pressey 