If they had been here, you would have told them!!

     The First Self Righteous Church had a member who lived up to the church's name!sake.  He was not only self righteous, but considered himself to be the most humble member of the church.  Upon leaving the church after each and every service he always told the preacher, "You really preached to THEM today, preacher."  He never included himself in that number that was preached to.  There came the night when just at gathering time a terrible storm began and the only two people at church was this member and the preacher.
     The preacher decided that this was the opportunity to preach to the member where he would have to acknowledge where the message was directed.  He tried to touch on every perceived flaw which the member had, all to no avail.  When the service was over the member approached the preacher and said to him, "Preacher, if they had been here tonight, you would have really preached to them."
     In a day when Satan is destroying everything that is not nailed down and is pulling nails as fast as he can, we need to take an inventory of our own lives and see how we measure up.  The above mentioned church member could not see any need for any changes in his own life, yet saw there was need of plenty of changes in the life of everyone else.  It is a rare church indeed in which their Sunday Morning attendance is even close to 50% of those who are on the church roll.  The number one reason for this nonattendance, is a lack of commitment from the average church member.  We are committed to the house payment, the car payment, our many pursuits of pleasure, any type of excuse will find us missing church to take care of something else which we deem of more importance at that moment.   The preacher usually hears something like this, "Preacher, we are having a family reunion next Sunday and will have to put in our appearance.  You do understand don't you?"  Several years ago in a church service where I was pastoring, my wife had her family reunion one Sunday.  We always put in our appearance, after worship service.  This day, though, while making the morning announcements, I said, "Doris is having her family reunion today."  As I said that, I stepped out from behind the pulpit as if I were leaving and said,  "We are going to go on up there so we won't be late.  You folks do understand don't you?"  They had a strange look on their face so I said, "No you don't understand, I don't understand either when I hear it about your missing the Lord's service."
     Don't forget the admonition for us in each and everything we do, "Do it as unto the Lord."  Preacher's need to preach as if it were only unto God, himself.  Sunday School teachers need to teach as if it were only unto the Lord.  Our giving and church attendance needs to be as if it were only unto the Lord.
     The old song says it best, "It's not my farther nor my mother, but it's me, Oh Lord!  Standing in the need of prayer.  I cannot answer for you, nor can you answer for me.  We must each give an account unto the Lord for each of our actions.  That alone should motivate us to do greater things for God.  It is even of more importance when we consider our failures may result in someone else spending an eternity in Hell.