The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

Here comes a powerful verse that greatly reminds us of the wonder and worthiness of our precious Savior. This verse comes as the church age saints cast their crowns before the throne of the Lord Jesus. Think of what we will tell the Lord.

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

This is not just something to be looking forward to in the future. This is powerful and precious for daily living right now today. He is worthy. He is to be honored. He is to be glorified. He has all things in His hands and under His control.

We believers are greatly blessed. Safely held in His precious hands, though storms rage around me. Quieted and trusting in His powerful hands, thus to Him I give praise and glory.

The Apostle Paul truly loved his son in the faith, Timothy. I can almost hear the tenderness of the fatherly words from Paul to Timothy as he wrote:

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2).

When you share the gospel with people, some will respond and place their trust in the Lord Jesus. As these newly saved individuals grow in their faith and understanding of God’s Word, they must be trained and encouraged to lead others to Christ as well. It really is an amazing thing, this whole matter of witnessing and leading others to Christ. You just never know what the Lord has in store for those who come to faith in Him.

Today is April 21st. On this date in 1855 Edward Kimball, a Sunday school teacher in Boston, led eighteen-year-old shoe salesman Dwight L. Moody to Christ at the Holton Shoe Store. As for Moody, well, friends, as you well know he went on to become one of the most successful evangelists of his day.

Think about it: Every person that you influence today and point to Christ is of infinite eternal value. I am so glad for that faithful Sunday school teacher and his convert to Christ. I wonder who the Lord will bring across our path today.

King David was such an amazing king. He was so untypical of the proud, arrogant, stubborn and hostile lifestyle of many kings. I was today reading in the Psalms he wrote. We know it as Psalm 145. Look at how he views the Lord and is in awe of Him.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable” (145:3).

1. The Lord is gracious. “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy” (145:8).

2. The Lord is good. “The LORD is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works” (145:9).

3. The Lord is righteous. “The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works” (145:17).

4. The Lord is near. “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him in truth” (145:18).

There is much more that could be said.

Be watching, my friend. Be watching. No doubt, you will be busy today. But don’t become so busy that you miss out on discovering Who the Lord is and what He is doing. You, too, will join in praising Him.

I was leafing through one of my study Bibles that I used many years ago. Its cover is worn. The binding is coming apart. The pages show the age and wear from years of study and preaching from it. I came across a little outline that I apparently preached quite some time ago. Let me share it with you.

“Three Things You Can Absolutely, Positively Count On”

1. You can count on the Word of God. It is settled. “For ever, O LORD, Thy Word is settled in Heaven” (Psalm 119:89).

2. You can count on the warning of God. It is serious. “Be not deceive; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

3. You can count on the will of God. It is satisfying. “Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God” (Psalm 143:10).

You just might not be able to fully count on the weather report or a dozen other things. But, friend, you can count on God’s Word, warning and will.

It is hard for me to imagine what it must have been like for the Apostle Paul and the early church leaders. No cell phones. No GPS. No texting. No private messaging. No video conferencing.

Paul was concerned about the church family at Philippi. He had none of these tools to instantly check on their situation and condition. So what did he do? He shared his plans with us.

“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state” (Philippians 2:19-20).

Timothy’s commission: “I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you.”
Paul’s concern: “That I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.”
Timothy’s character: “For I have no man likeminded who will naturally care for your state.”

Timothy didn’t know what he would find. He didn’t know how he would be received. He didn’t know if his message would be accepted. He didn’t know if his presence would be appreciated. None of these things! He simply went because not only did Paul send him, he naturally cared about them.

You can see where I am headed, can’t you? To whom can you and I be a “Timothy” today? That is a very probing and important question, isn’t it?