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BECAUSE GOD LOVES THE CHURCH [Illustrations included in this devotional are not visible in this view. Illustrations are only supported in the Bible App for iOS, Android, and at Bible.com] The Bible calls the church the Bride of Christ. Those of you who are married will understand the metaphor - think about the things you would do and the lengths you would go to in order to protect, provide, and comfort your wife. That's how God feels about His church! He says that of all the things that He created and established on earth, the one that can never be defeated by the gates of hell and the one that He will personally see to its growing and building is the church. The truth is, when we don't make church a priority, what we're saying is we couldn't care less how God feels about it. That's a dangerous place to be. Not only is it bad for our souls, but it violates one of Jesus' most poignant commands: Seek first HIS Kingdom and HIS righteousness and all the other things we need will be provided. Here's the irony: We sometimes put God's church somewhere towards the back of our priorities. And we do it because we're focusing on the things we want and need (right relationships, rest, family time, etc.). But all the while, Jesus has made it clear that you're sacrificing the very thing that could actually make those ideas a reality at the altar of the things themselves. We get it all backwards! When we put first His church and the things He cares about, the other things fall into place. When we make our life all about the other things that we need (or think we need), we get neither. Why does attending church matter? BECAUSE GOD LOVES THE CHURCH.