Why go to Church? 3 Great Reasons

"He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:3

"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God." Psalm 92:30 

I'm amazed at the importance of being planted. People go to church for different reasons but I believe that in the Psalms we find 3 reasons why we should be firmly planted:

1. Incredible Fruit - I have several fruit trees in my backyard and this year I can tell which ones are fruitful and the ones that are not. Take our lemon trees for example: one is heavy with fruit and the other one has nothing to display. I look at my fruitful lemon tree and understand that with continuous refreshment (because of our proximity to rivers of water) comes plentitude of fruit (Psalm 1:3). To make things better, our leaves will never get dry. As we are strategically planted by the rivers of water, God says that we will display great fruit in our lives.
2. Prosperity - How would you act today if you knew that WHATEVER you do will prosper? From cleaning a messy closet to closing a business deal, anything you touch turns to gold! That's what prosperity means. As we delight in the Words of God and meditate on it, prosperity will follow every step we take.
3. Flourish - If you are planted in the house of the Lord, you will flourish. There is a vigor, an excellence about you that comes from being firmly planted in the house of God. You thrive and it's plain to see that your life has quality to it. This kind of stuff happens when you are planted in your local church. Simply attending does not equal being planted. When you are planted your roots grow deep and you get that great nourishment that causes you to flourish. When you are simply attending or trying the soil out, you don't get to grow and produce fruit like trees who have been firmly planted. There's a beauty about Flourishing that only happens to those who take their time to be planted.

Being planted is such an interesting topic. You can think about being planted in different seasons and how it affects your growth. The encouraging thing to remember is that God says that if you hang in there, you will display Incredible Fruit, you will walk in Prosperity and you will Flourish.

Reflect and Respond:
• Read Psalms 1 and 92.
• If you are not planted in the house of the Lord, how can you benefit to committing to being planted? Pray that God will show you where you should be planted.
• If you are planted, pray this prayer: God, thank you for planting me in my local church. I give you permission to nurture me so that I can be prosperous, fruitful and flourish.
• In your perspective, what are the benefits of being planted in your local church?