Ephesians 5:19-20
This Sunday I asked the congregation if they could tell me why we were meeting together. One of the first answers was, “so we can make it through the rest of the week.”
While I was hoping for someone to say that we come to church to worship God, the answer we heard was equally valid. Having fellowship in worship, coming together as one, in one place, to praise God and receive instruction in our faith equips us to face the world.
The primary reason for worship is to give our adoration, thanks and praise to our heavenly Father. But we are also supposed to have fellowship with one another. It is essential that the body of Christ come together on occasion to be reminded that we are indeed the body of Christ.
What does this letter to the church at Ephesus encourage believers to do? How can you make music in your heart?
These two brief lines give us an abundance of instruction for times of fellowship with one another. They teach us that we should sing songs of praise to one another and with one another. Our times of fellowship, of being in the presence of those we love as brothers and sisters in Christ, should put a song of love and joy in our hearts.
Our times together can strengthen our spirits. Our time in fellowship with one another can allow us to set down our burdens, share our sorrows and joys together, and face life with a renewed attitude of happiness in Christ. We can be filled up in worship so that we can go out into the cold, bitter world wrapped in love – love from God and love from those who share our faith.
We may claim that we cannot sing; therefore the instruction to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” does not apply. But the word used is “speak.” Even if we can’t carry a tune in a bucket we can say the words of faith and encouragement to each other. We can build one another up in our times of fellowship so that all are strengthened to go out into life.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you put a song to the Lord in the heart of another?
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