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There has probably never been a congregation where every single member had the right attitude about the assemblies of the church. Seemingly there is always someone who feels at liberty to absent himself from the assembly when he chooses. Consequently, there will probably always be a need for preaching and teaching on the need to be faithful in attendance at the services of the church. We need to be reminded from time to time how good it is for us to meet together as God’s people to worship Him and study His word. And we need to be reminded how much we need what the services of the church offer.

There is no doubt a sense in which we should feel an obligation to meet whenever the church assembles, but being present surely can be thought of as more than a mere duty. We ought to look forward to assembling together in the local church. If we love the Lord and His people, the various assemblies of the congregation will be a joy to attend.

In Psa. 122:1, David said, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” Today there is no physical building which is the “house of the Lord” such as the temple was in the Old Testament. In Christ, we ourselves are the dwelling place of God. But should we not have the same attitude about meeting with our brethren that David had about going to the temple to worship? Should we be anything but glad when the time comes to assemble with the saints of God to praise Him and learn from His word? Of all the people in the world, the Lord’s people should be those whom we most look forward to being with. As John wrote, “Whoever loves God must also love his brother . . . and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him” (1 John 4:21-5:1).

This week, let’s set ourselves the challenge of developing a more positive attitude about the services of the church. Let’s work on viewing our weekly assemblies as a joy and a privilege. Given the difficulties of life in this world, it is not likely that we will survive living in it without the edification that we get when we worship together. Think about it!