The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto Thee among the nations. For Thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and Thy truth unto the clouds” (Psalm 57:9-10).

I grew up in a little community in Western New York. There were no video games, no smart phones, no texting, no facetime, none of these things. We played outside together. Sometimes after playing for a bit, we did become bored. I will admit it. But I can remember lying flat on our backs and simply gazing up into the sky. We’d watch the clouds and try to figure out what their shapes reminded us of. Those clouds seemed so far away, that sky so very immense.

What a grand way to describe God’s mercy and His truth. Don’t think for a moment that God’s mercy will run low nor His truth soon be in short supply. Picture lying on your back and staring up into the heavens and see the mercy and truth of our awesome God.

If you know Christ as your Savior, there’s no sweeter encouragement for me to share with you than this: No matter where you go, God’s mercy and His truth surrounds you today.

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Let’s head to the Old Testament today! Think of what King David wrote.

“I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning” (Psalm 59:16).

David is being hotly pursued by wicked King Saul who wanted him dead. No one could have been any more loyal to Saul than was David. But the fruits of anger grew from the root of bitter jealousy in King Saul’s heart.

I have witnessed the fruits of jealousy and anger in my lifetime experience of working with people. It is a terrible thing. This is not my focus for today, however. My focus reminds us of David’s response to God’s protection and blessing. There is nothing worse than being up in the night as either sickness, pain, or tragedy robs us of sleep. As the morning’s first light dawns and the darkness of the night abates, hope and encouragement springs. David sings of God’s mercy in the morning. What a wonderful blessing. Someone should write a book and entitle it “Mercy in the Morning!”

How will this affect you today? I am thankful for God’s mercy. It is the morning light that dispels darkness.

“Who are kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5).

One of the saddest conversations in many ways that I remember having was with a person who believed that he had to trust Christ for salvation but that he also needed to keep himself saved. He lived daily in fear of “losing his salvation.”

My conversation was gracious but probing. I asked him, “Does that mean that every single time you sin, you lose your salvation?” His response was, “No, of course not.” So I asked a little further, “Then how many times do you sin before you lose your salvation?” He had no answer. So I asked, “If you sinned three times, would you lose your salvation?” The person told me, “I don’t think it is the amount of times, it is the type of sins.” I said, “Oh, I understand now. So if you lie, do you lose your salvation? Or if you have a lustful thought, do you lose your salvation? Or is it…” and I paused. I probed a little further, “Instead of me listing off sins, would you just show me from the Bible what sins make you lose your salvation?” Of course he could not turn to a passage. I was thrilled to share just the opposite from the Word of God. Aren’t you glad that we are KEPT by the power of God! It wasn’t that I wanted to win some kind of argument. I wanted him to understand the joy and security of Christ’s gift of salvation.

Join me in thinking often of this today: Not by my strength or ability but by the mighty power of God are we kept by God.

I am so blessed by these verses that I am asking us to read them again today and consider a couple of things.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

Around the world today believers are rejoicing in the wonderful salvation that we have in the Lord Jesus. This salvation results from personally trusting the finished work of the Lord Jesus and trusting Him and His work alone for salvation. The results of this relationship with Him are incredible.

Think of the description of our inheritance. The Apostle Peter says that first of all, it is incorruptible, which speaks of it not being given to decay or running out. He says, second, that it is undefiled, which speaks of it being unsoiled or impaired. Third, Peter speaks of it as being that which fades not away, which speaks of it being perpetual, never withering or dying off. All of this is said to be reserved in Heaven for us.

I am so glad that these blessings do not depend on me or my feelings. They depend fully and finally upon the awesome Lord Himself. Oh friends, what a delightful and precious assurance.

How can I begin to describe this blessing? The LORD God has reserved our inheritance. What a joy and blessing right now today!

Peter’s writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that reveals our wonderful Savior always is a blessing to me. Like you, I never tire reading these wonderful, wonderful verses. Let me share them with you and then, well, then I will date myself!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

This is going to date me, for sure.

Perhaps some of the regular readers of my Daily Prescriptions won’t even know what I am talking about! Years and years ago when our children were young, occasionally we watched “Little House on the Prairie.” On one episode Charles learns that he is to inherit a huge sum of money from his father, I think (or was it an uncle?) He started to spend his inheritance before it was ever finalized only to discover that the inheritance was in confederate money. He was not a millionaire after all. What a disappointment to his family, community, and little church.

Not so for those of us who know the Lord Jesus as Savior. Our inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, never fading, and reserved in Heaven. It doesn’t get any better than this.

I am so amazed at this: We believers are glory bound children of the Lord. What a blessing today!