Like me, some of you may be baffled a lot these days by people you love who claim to be Christians but do not attend church, or only attend a few times a year.

I have a familymember like this, someone I have known almost my entire life whom I love dearly. She was greatly influenced by my godly grandmother but has never attended church. I do not believe she is saved, but God is the judge, not me.

When looking for verses to guide me and to help me influence the people in my life to receive the Lord or grow closer to Him, I really love the positive ones that don't just tell us what not to do, but what the replacement for that sin should be. I found this verse today in a devotional book Danny Whetstone wrote: "What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Romans 6:15-16.

That is very helpful. Whether my well-beloved friend and relative is or is not saved, we cannot grow while yielding ourselves to the enemy of our souls and his ways. God tells us to attend church; these verses further explain that in yielding ourselves to Him, we choose life and righteousness and all that is good (and good for us).

He is sooooo good to us. I love this reminder on the first day of the year!