I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. Jeremiah 24:7

In a movie a long time ago a character said, "Church is for old women and children." The statement was and is true but with a qualifier. "Church is for old women and children and men and women of all ages." It can be stated another way, God is for all people. Church and God can’t be separated, one goes with the other.

There’s a little story about a Sunday school teacher who asked her class of teenagers what they thought about their church. Of course there were a few clowns who made jokes and one or two who tried to be serious. One girl, new to the church, told the teacher after everyone departed, "Going to church for me is like walking into the heart of God."

When people attend church and don’t experience the presence of God it is easy for them to dismiss the church as unimportant. But when people experience the presence of God they leave inspired and hold the church in high regard.

For those of you who attended church yesterday, how are you feeling about your church this morning? Do you feel, as the girl stated it was, "like walking into the heart of God"?

One last thought: Prayer is opening your life unconditionally to God. No shopping list presented, just simply "here I am God, use me however you will."