The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).

First of all, the Lord Jesus makes it very clear that even sinful fathers know the kind of gifts that will be pleasing to their children as well as good for them. If such sinful fathers know how to give gifts that will bless their children, think of how the Father longs to bless His children. Second, the Lord Jesus speaks of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those who ask. The Holy Spirit began a wonderful ministry in the life of the New Testament age believers on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Wonderful blessing come about because of the fruitful ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. The lesson I want to take with me throughout the day is to remember that I have a perfect Heavenly Father. I do not always fully understand Him, but I do trust Him. I want to love Him more. How about you?

For today: Perfect on this earth I never shall be. However, I do belong to the One Who is perfect in every way.

“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy words shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou” (Genesis 41:39-40).

It would have been impossible to humanly orchestrate the events of Joseph’s life. Only God could have worked out the details of this great turn around. Dragged from his homeland and led away a captive, falsely accused by a wicked woman, neglected by a wicked chief butler who put Joseph out of his mind, now suddenly he stands before Pharaoh as the bearer of the Revelation of God. Only the Lord could have orchestrated this. One of the great lessons in life that we must take away from this passage is that someday God is going to make all things right. He has a plan and purpose for our lives. Into the hands of the same God that orchestrated the details for Joseph I gladly place my own life today. How about you?

For today: I’m glad to belong to the God of Joseph. I may not go from prison to the office of Prime Minister, but God has a plan for me and you as well. Isn’t it exciting to belong to Him?

“For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee” (Psalm 86:5).

The very things that thrilled and blessed King David’s life are the exact same things that bless and thrill the lives of believers today. David wrote of the Lord’s goodness, readiness to forgive, plenteous mercy, and desire for us to call upon Him. Sometimes we believers can become overly busy to the point that we rush through our day with little thought to these things. May the Lord help us to proceed carefully today and watch for His goodness, readiness to forgive, and mercy which are abundant.

For today: If I miss these things today because I am busy, that tells me I am too busy!

“But I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning: for Thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble” (Psalm 59:16).

Many Bible scholars believe that Psalm 59 was written when wicked King Saul sent his troops to watch David’s house with the orders to kill him. It was a terrible time for David. In the midst of such profound sorrow David wrote a song. He sang of God’s power. He sang of God’s mercy in the morning. He sang about God being his source of safety in the time of trouble. He uses the word translated “defence” in our verse. What a great blessing. What a great song! How will this play out in your life today?

For today: I certainly am not facing anything comparable to what David faced. But I am thankful that the same Lord is my God, and therefore, I will trust Him.

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no god formed, neither shall there be after Me” (Isaiah 43:10).

God lays out a mighty, powerful, and brief statement about Himself and us in our verse for today. There simply is no one comparable to Him. He alone is God. We have the privilege of knowing and loving Him. Therefore we serve as witnesses. It will be interesting to see how this great verse about our awesome God will work out in our lives today. Be watching for opportunities to demonstrate that you know, believe, and are, therefore, testifying about Him.

For today: How awesome is our Lord. Aren’t you glad that there’s no one like Him?