We joke about the man who thanks the preacher after the sermon: “Thanks, Preacher-Man! This morning I had a refreshing nap.” We chuckle; but all kidding aside, what about that man’s spiritual health?
Agreed, it is sometimes difficult to listen during the Sunday morning sermon. The lesson may be dull, the preacher may be dry, we may be tired after walking the baby at 2:00 a.m. (“Don’t judge lest you be judged” - Matthew 7:1). There could be an illness or a child distraction.
The Psalmist declares, “Why should the nations say, ‘Where, now is their God?’ But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands, They have mouths, but they cannot speak, They have eyes, but they cannot see, They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell, They have hands, but they cannot feel.
“They have feet, but they cannot walk, They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them. You who fear (revere) the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. “The Lord is mindful of us; He will bless us...He will bless those who fear the Lord...May the Lord give you increase, You and your children. “May you be blessed of the Lord; Maker of heaven and earth...The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; But the earth He has given to the sons of men. The dead do not praise the Lord; nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 115:2-8, 11-18).
If you are stalling in the pew, you are running out of gas for God! Your Christian journey may have begun decades ago with Jesus, but Christianity is an ongoing process into maturity. Are you growing in the pew or stalling in the pew?
Is your faith stronger this year than it was last year? Do you know more Bible verses today than you did last month? Are you truly listening to the Bible lessons you are exposed to or merely warming the pew?
Anything that keeps you from knowing God is an idol. Idols are blind, deaf, and dumb -- and so are those who look to them for help. “But our God is in the heavens...He is their help and their shield.”