CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE!

 It's Sunday morning. It's been a long week, it's back to work on Monday, it's been a busy weekend and you have LOTS on your mind. The kids were a handful getting ready for church, you couldn't find your favorite pants, your wife dropped her lipstick in the garbage disposal, you didn't have time for breakfast, someone cut you off on the way to church, and now you arrive and all of this has been going on. The farthest thing from your mind is singing about freedom and joy. You already need a nap and it's only 9:45 a.m. 

You're carrying all this baggage, and you know what you need to do...CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE! What? Listen...What do you do before you get on an airplane...you check your baggage or luggage. You can't carry all of that on the plane with you, there would be no room for everyone if you took ALL of your luggage or baggage into the plane where you sit. It would be crammed pack, no room to breath most likely and it would be very uncomfortable and a very tight trip. There would be no freedom to move around like you normally would (when the seat belt sign is off of course) but with all that baggage, nobody would be moving around or having any fun.

NOW...let's apply this to a Sunday morning worship service. You've come in the door with all this weight, and all this stress and all this...baggage...CHECK IT! Leave it at the door. You won't have any freedom or any fun, or room to breathe carrying all of that into the service.

1 Peter 5:7 says, "Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there." Before you walk into a service, leave all those cares and worries at the door. Give them to God before you go in, so that you are weight free, and can move around freely and have fun and not let all of that baggage weigh you down in a service! CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE! Treat worship like a getaway!

Where you can be YOU! You can be FREE! You can be like a child undignified and happy and joyful in His presence! Don't wait for the band, or whoever is on that stage to say COME ON! Beat em to it! Your praise can change the atmosphere and it can be contagious! Don't hold back and don't let NOTHING stop you from enjoying your getaway with God in His presence!