I love what the writer of Ps 84 says in verses 8-12 about loving to spend time in the presence of God, specifically in His house. When thinking of what God loves, and love basics in general, we know he loves His church, the body of Christ. I love it that David did too. Hear what he said:
Ps 84: 8-12
8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob. 9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
In these verses, David says that he would rather spend one day in God’s house than 1000 days anywhere else. He would rather be a doorkeeper in God’s house than to dwell at ease in the tents of wickedness. I love that he would rather serve like an usher or a greeter in church (isn’t that what a doorkeeper is?) than be seen, served or live in a wicked place. He has such great love for the house of God. He also connected loving with serving. Serving is part of church. We get that example from Christ. Love serves! Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve. We shouldn’t come to church to be served, but to serve. We should be asking, how can we help? How can we participate to make things flow smoother? How can we be a blessing to our pastors, or the staff, or the different ministries that are available? How can we keep the building looking nice? How can we participate in services or events to make the ministry more effective? There are so many ways to serve in the body. It takes the up front things, and many more things behind the scenes. Think of prayer and how important it is in the church setting. We want the atmosphere to be ripe for God to do what needs to be done…that happens behind the scenes, because God’s people have a love for His house. Think of all the amazing Children’s ministry workers, or youth workers who make those ministries run. Not only do they make things relevant, they find creative ways to get the Word of God into our kids. That all happens behind the scenes, by people who love God’s house. I hope your prayer aligns with Davids. Better is one day in Your house, than thousands elsewhere.