The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Be followers of me even as I am also of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

That verse can literally be translated as “I am following Christ and seeking to set an example by which you should live. So follow me!”

Most of us nearly choke when we say this out loud. Please understand. The Apostle Paul didn’t think he lived perfectly. Not at all. But he was indeed a Christ-follower. He sought to set an example in the good days as well as the hard days of how a Christ-follower sounded, acted, treated people, and trusted the Lord.

Here’s a question that truly challenges me. The question is this. What would it be like around here if everyone around here acted just like me? Thankfully, this does not mean living perfectly. But it does mean that we live intentionally. We learn more about Him and seek to truly live the way that a Christ-follower, an imitator of Christ, seeks to live.

For today: Following Christ is not easy; however, it is delightful.

“But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying” (Psalm 70:5).

John’s unit, as well as three other squad cars, had just received the call dispatching them to a “shots fired, man down and the perpetrator is still in the house. Respond code three!” Immediately hitting the overhead emergency lights and triggering the siren, John and the other three police officers sped as quickly as possible to the scene of the crime. Innocent people were inside. One had already been harmed, and several others were threatened. The first unit was on location within four minutes of receiving the call. To the people inside it seemed like it took forever, but for the police officers it was a mad dash through town. Sometimes in our situations we wish God would turn on the siren and answer our prayers quickly in a way that we could see and understand that He is working. Probably the most difficult thing that we encounter in our Christian lives is learning to wait on the Lord.

Old Testament King David reminded the Lord of his great need. He pled with the Lord to hurry and help him. Dear friend, perhaps right now you have a situation that you are praying about. It seems like it is taking forever for the answer to come. Rest assured God’s help is already there to hold you and to guide you. The solution to your situation may not come as quickly as you desire, but the Lord is already there, and His answer really is on the way.

For today: Trust the Lord as you wait for Him. Do everything He wants you to do and leave the rest to Him.

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised (Hebrews 10:23).

The writer of Hebrews presents a tremendous contrast between the Old Testament Tabernacle with its Levitical system and the precious New Testament superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything about the Lord Jesus as well as everything the Lord Jesus accomplished is superior to the Old Testament system under Moses. What a wonderful time in which we live! It is called the “The Church Age.” The reaction we should have to this is one of devotion and joyful obedience. That’s what the writer had in mind in our verse today.

Obviously, in some of the matters of our lives as we grow and mature we will change our mind from time to time.  However, have you ever met somebody who is forever changing his or her mind even in important matters? That was the problem Margaret was having with her friend. Margaret could not depend on her even in the important matters of life. Her friend wavered on everything from politics to matters of the Scriptures. It put a real strain on their friendship and made Margaret even more determined that when it came to the Lord Jesus and her obedience to Him, she was going to hold fast the profession of her faith without wavering. Come to think of it, that sounds like a very good commitment for us as well.

For today: Remember, there is a difference between being stubborn over little things and steadfast in our conviction in spiritual things.

For the last few days, I have devoted “Dr. Mike’s Daily Prescriptions” to folks who are hurting and are traveling through difficult situations.

Helps from the Bible- #1 Remember, the Lord understands our situations.
Helps from the Bible- #2 Remember, the Lord has not lost sight of you. He has not forgotten you.
Helps from the Bible- #3 Remember, the Lord cares deeply about you and the difficulties you are facing.
Helps from the Bible- #4 Remember, the Lord invites you to come boldly to His throne for help.
Helps from the Bible- #5 Remember, the Lord makes no mistakes I might not understand what He is doing in my life at the moment, but I really can trust Him.
Helps from the Bible- # 6 Remember, the same LORD who knows the number of the stars and each of their names knows you personally and wants to heal your broken heart.

Think of this! “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:3-5).

Consider the trillions upon trillions of stars and then remember that the Lord knows the exact number of them. Even greater is our amazement to realize that He has named every one of them. How incredible is our God! He knows everything (omniscient) and has all power (omnipotent). How amazing is this? Well, my friend, let me share with you something that I think is even more, much more, amazing! According to Psalm 147:3, He even knows us individually and understands our hurts, sorrows, and difficulties. He “heals” the brokenhearted and “binds up” their wounds. This speaks of individual and personal care that He extends to folks just like you and me.

For today: What is the heartbreaking situation through which you or someone you love is traveling? Remember that the same Lord Who counts the stars heals the broken in heart as He binds up their wounds. Get into His Word. Invest time reading the Psalms. Talk with Him. Trust Him!

For the next few days, I would like to devote “Dr. Mike’s Daily Prescriptions” to folks who are hurting and are traveling through difficult situations.

Helps from the Bible- #1 Remember, the Lord understands our situations.
Helps from the Bible- #2 Remember, the Lord has not lost sight of you. He has not forgotten you.
Helps from the Bible- #3 Remember, the Lord cares deeply about you and the difficulties you are facing.
Helps from the Bible- #4 Remember, the Lord invites you to come boldly to His throne for help
Helps from the Bible- #5 Remember, the Lord makes no mistakes. I might not understand what He is doing in my life at the moment, but I really can trust Him.

Think of this! “The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:17-18).

Before their very eyes, three-year-old Mikie was throwing a temper tantrum. Stomping his little feet and raising his voice, their beloved little boy was not getting a cookie ten minutes before supper, and I might add, he did not like the answer “No!” one little bit. I might further add, supper waited a little longer as both mommy and daddy dealt with Mikie. (This was the third tantrum that day, so mommy and daddy dealt with this one together.)

Later that night both parents spoke about Mikie. “There was nothing wrong with wanting a cookie except he was not going to get one a few minutes before the wonderful supper you made for us,” Paul said to his wife Cindy. She responded by remarking, “He surely had his little mind made up that the best thing in all the world for him was that cookie right at that moment and how dare mommy and daddy say ‘No’ to him?” Then it hit them both. Just recently there were times that they didn’t understand the situations that the Lord was bringing into their lives. “I wonder how similar our reactions must have been to the Lord?” Paul said. “I am really challenged that I expected young Michael to trust my answer and plan for his little life. Now I need to trust the Lord for His answers and plans for our lives as well,” Paul quietly concluded. Cindy agreed.

For today: Is the Lord working differently than you have it all planned out? Welcome to the huge fellowship of those who identify with this situation. We, too, are a “cookies ten minutes before supper” kind of folks! We might not understand. However! We can trust and obey.