The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:14-15).

As you no doubt know, today is what is commonly called “April Fools’ Day.” Perhaps someone has already tricked you and you were caught in their joke. I was thinking about the day approaching and wondering how in the world this day came into being. According to history.com, the origin of this day and practice are somewhat of a mystery. Some believe it dates back to 1513 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Apparently some folks missed the announcement. The New Year began on January 1st and yet they were foolishly still celebrating it at the end of March. These folks became the object of teasing and jokes. There are other theories but suffice it to say, today and every day we need to be truthful in our conduct and conversation. Let’s be honest. Every person has lied at one time or another, and we have been very convicted about it, haven’t we? By God’s grace we need to determine that honesty, truthfulness, and loving others must be our lifestyle.

For today: We need to be living truthfully in word and deed. That’s no April Fools’ Day joke!

“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake. Wherefore should the heather say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased” (Psalm 115:1-3).

“The sovereignty of God is a tremendous blessing and encouragement to me,” Dick said as he drank a little more coffee. He was out to breakfast with a group of men from his church, and together they were sharing about the events of their lives that past week. Their server poured more coffee for the men and couldn’t help but overhear the conversation. “I don’t mean to be listening in,” she said. “I am a new Christian, and I don’t know what sovereignty means. Would you mind explaining it to me briefly? My boss wants each of us to hurry up because we’re busy,” she continued. Dick spoke up quickly, “It simply means that we know God is God and we are not. He is in charge and has all authority to do whatever He wishes to do! The great news is that God is also merciful and true. Therefore, we can trust Him even when we don’t understand what He is doing at the moment.” It was a powerful teaching moment in the life of a new Christian.

For today: I am glad that I can trust in the Lord and rest in His sovereignty. How about you?

“Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgression: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness sake, O LORD” (Psalm 25:7). “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

She was sobbing so hard her entire body was shaking and nearly convulsing as she sat in the pastor’s office. This poor lady, at the end of her rope, showed up without an appointment to see the pastor. In she came to his office in the arms of the pastor’s secretary. As the lady composed herself to tell her story, it became clear that she was completely broken and weighed down by the burden and shame of her guilt. She was “so bad there is no hope for me,” she sobbed. What a joy it was for pastor and the church secretary to point her to the same One to Whom King David looked for salvation and forgiveness. How is it with you? Are you still living under the burden and guilt of your past? Without minimizing your sin, please allow me to maximize your Savior and His amazing power to forgive.

For today: You might feel like you are the chief of sinners. The Apostle Paul felt that way, according to 1 Timothy 1:15. You can know the joy of sins forgiven through Christ. Do you know Him?

“Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble…That I may show forth all Thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in Thy salvation” (Psalm 9:13-14).

King David is one of the most well-known and dearly beloved characters of the Old Testament. He was so open and transparent. When he was having a bad day and going through terrible difficulties, he was honest and wrote about it. In the middle of the messes in which he found himself, always he was trusting in the mercy of the LORD. Through the walk of trusting God, David knew times of profound deliverance which resulted in his rejoicing and praising God. While the drama of your life might not ever reach the heights of David’s drama, doesn’t that pattern from your own personal experience sound familiar to you? In the midst of your trouble, trust God and watch for His mercy. Keep praising and choose to rejoice in Him. That’s good for each of us!

For today: I know what I should be doing in those difficult days. Now I simply need to do it!

“Then said I unto them, You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire; come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach” (Nehemiah 2:17).

What a great life lesson for us rests in this brief statement of Nehemiah’s. Successful leadership and ministry are built on the servant identifying with the location situation. Nehemiah could have stayed hundreds of miles away as the cupbearer in Shushan the palace, but he didn’t. He spoke of the distress “we” are in. He fully identified as standing with the very needy situation. But it didn’t stop there. He wanted to become part of the solution, declaring “let us” build. As Christians, you and I are called to be salt and light, according to Matthew 5:13-16. While not lowering our standards and living sinfully, we have the great privilege to reaching out to people who are broken and who have made a mess of their lives. The Lord Jesus and the message of the gospel is what they desperately need. But they probably won’t hear this from a far away palace. To be part of restoring what is broken requires us to go to where “broken” exists. What a challenge for us today.

For today: Where will the Lord use you today? Be on the watch. He has a plan.