The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the LORD’s name is to be praised” (Psalm 113:1-3).

Isn’t that a majestic call to praise and celebrate the name of the LORD? When the Scriptures speak of the name of the Lord, basically they are referring to His revealed character and attributes. His name is a representation of Who He is, what He does, and what He says. To praise His name speaks of thanksgiving and celebrating what we know about the Lord. It is celebrating what He is doing and what the Scriptures tell us about Him. Worship is the outflow of one who is walking with the LORD, thinking about Him, and applying His Word to life. Morning, noon, or night is a great time to praise the Lord.

For today: In whatever situation you find yourself, you can still praise the Lord for Who He is, what He does, and what He says.

“He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6).

It is called “The Miracle on the Hudson.” On January 15th, 2009, US Airways flight 1549 left LaGuardia Airport at 3:27 with 155 passengers on board. Within three minutes this aircraft struck a flock of geese and all engine power was lost. Narrowly missing the George Washington Bridge, Captain Chesley Sullenberger guided the Airbus 320 into an emergency landing on the Hudson River.  Later that afternoon, passenger Billy Campbell would shake the captain’s hand and say, “Thank you for saving my life.” While the landing was an incredible, amazing feat, it actually was not a miracle. However, what happened in that borrowed tomb over two thousand years ago was an absolute miracle. For those of us who have placed our trust in Christ, the day will come when we will bow at His feet, and I am sure we will say, “Thank you for saving us!” In that day we will rejoice in His redemption. But friends, the day is coming when every unbeliever who has rejected Him will also bow before Him. Except this bowing will be in judgment. It is my prayer that you know Him personally as your own Savior.

For today: I want to be a thankful servant. How about you?

“As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even for ever” (Psalm 125:2).

The next day we would leave the Galilee area of Israel and travel on to Jerusalem. After dinner at the Kibbutz, we gathered in a private room for evening devotions and sharing. I told the group, “Tomorrow will be a full day of sightseeing and traveling. Our guide told me the weather looks cooperative, so it should be good weather-wise. I might not get a chance to remind you tomorrow, so let me tell you now. Be sure to notice that we will be going up to Jerusalem. As we enter the city, notice the surrounding mountains. This will be an illustration that you will remember the rest of your lives. As the mountains are round about this very precious city, so the Lord personally embraces, or surrounds, His people.” As the tour bus approached the city, the mountains seemed to majestically say, “See us? This is how our great Creator God surrounds you.”

For today: If you know Christ as your Savior, you have the Lord’s promise that He surrounds you in His faithfulness.

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16a).

Yesterday we read about the wonderful truth of the word “workmanship” found in Ephesians 2:10. There the Lord tells His people that He is undertaking a major production in their lives. Quite literally, believers are God’s masterpiece of poetry that He is writing. Now think with me for a moment about the challenge from the Lord for His people to live very differently in the world, which is “crooked and perverse.” We have the great opportunity of shining as lights in a very dark world. For Marty this would be living for the Lord on a college campus. For Jeff it would be living for the Lord on the assembly line of the factory. For David it would be in the way he handled the big rig as he crossed the country on his routes. For Kayleigh it would be the way she cared for her patients in the nursing home. For Emily it would be how she lived in her home with her own family each day. For Duncan it would be how he handled being disabled and taking an early retirement. How will you shine in your corner of this broken world as the Lord’s own child?

For today: May the Lord give us the grace and strength to be gracious and Godly both in our words and actions.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

I am convinced that there is nothing ordinary about our great God. Recently I had the privilege of preaching from Ephesians 2:1-10. What a joy personally in my message preparation and what a joy for the church family to consider the word “workmanship” in the text. That wonderful word is poiema which is pronounced POY-ay-mah and means “that which is produced, a poem.” Think of it, friends! If you know the Lord Jesus as your own personal Savior, the Lord is producing His plan; He is working out His will; He is actually writing His poem with your life! It might not feel that way at times. However! It is important that we do not live by the way we are feeling. We build our lives on what He says in His Word. You might not feel much like God’s poem, but as you live for Him and seek His guidance, the poem is precious indeed.

For today: Trust in the Lord. You cannot improve on His plan for you. Count it a joy to be part of His writing production!