The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain (two) shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19: 4-6).

Forty-four years ago today I stood on the platform of the Grace Baptist Church of Batavia, New York, and watched my beautiful bride being escorted by her dad to join me with the rest of the bridal party. Before the Lord and the witnesses who attended our wedding, we entered a covenant that we would become husband and wife. Let me take this opportunity to remind my single friends that you are not a second class citizen. God has selected you for amazing assignments and opportunities. But since it is our anniversary, may I remind us that marriage in God’s sight and by His design is one man and one woman for one lifetime. Pray for the marriages in your church. Strong marriages help to produce strong churches. What are you doing to strengthen your marriage?

For today: Happy Anniversary, Karen. I love you. To all of our friends, thanks for subscribing to my Daily Prescriptions. May the Lord bless you.

“He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion” (Psalm 111:4).

The other day I was thinking about my old neighborhood. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember what happened two weeks ago, but I seem to be able to remember pretty easily the things that happened over fifty years ago. The husband and wife that lived across the street from my family was a couple by the names of George and Ruth Quible. George was the oldest man I knew at the time. For social studies class I had been given an assignment that I was to interview an elderly person about what life was like when he or she was young. At first George wasn’t very talkative. Then something changed, and for several hours my mother and I sat and listened to the way things were as he grew up. Had he never talked to me about them and had I never written them down, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity of learning much about my little town. On a far greater scale and magnitude, if we don’t read God’s Word and talk of His wonderful works, we will miss out on great blessings. His works are to be remembered. He is gracious and full of compassion. I need this today!

For today: Don’t let anything rob you of remembering God’s works. They are awesome!

“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26).

I am convinced that it doesn’t take much to entertain me. Every afternoon at about 3:00 I go out into our back yard and whistle! Believe it or not, twenty to thirty little sparrows suddenly start to land on the bush just beyond our fence. The blue jays start squawking and diving in to get the get the peanuts before the fat squirrels waddle in. It is quite a sight. The sparrows are such a vivid lesson to me. They do not seem to fret that I will forget their bird seed. They do not wring their little wings in despair that life is too hard. They just respond to my whistle and enjoy their supper. I realize there is more to our lives than waiting for a whistle (although I have to wonder if that’s what some folks are hoping for!) But the lesson is clear. I can trust my Heavenly Father. I am more important to Him than the birds He feeds daily.

For today: How will this thought play out in your life today? Aren’t you glad that you belong to your Heavenly Father?

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Louise sat across from Pastor Kenward. Taking her husband’s hand she sobbed and began to shake as great tears of regret and remorse fell from her eyes and streamed down both cheeks. “You don’t know the terrible things I have done, Pastor,” she nearly choked on her words. “I want to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again. I do believe He is the only way to Heaven. But I am too bad. He could never love me. He could never accept me. I’ve sinned too badly,” she adamantly said. The wise old pastor said to her husband, “Justin, I don’t hug ladies other than my wife. But your wife needs a hug. You give her a hug.” After her husband hugged his sobbing wife, Pastor Kenward spoke to her. “Louise, I don’t need to know the things you have done. Everybody has done things they regret, including me. Believe it or not Louise, you sound just like the Apostle Paul. He thought he was the worst sinner, too.” A great pastoral counseling conversation took place that afternoon as Louise placed her trust in the Lord Jesus to be her Savior. Have you asked the Lord to be your Savior? Please don’t think that you are too bad to ask Him for salvation. Of course never think you are too good either!

For today: As the old hymn states, “Grace that is greater than all our sin.” Aren’t you glad for God’s grace?

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Can you imagine what Heaven would be like if entering it depended upon our efforts? I can just imagine the kind of bragging and boasting that would take place. We would be so proud of ourselves and our great accomplishments, if the requirement for entrance to Heaven was achievable on our own merits. Can’t you just hear it now? Some people would brag about their education. Others would brag about their great accomplishments. Still others would brag of their brilliance. Perhaps some would brag of their humility! Thankfully, the way to Heaven is a gift. It cannot be merited, neither can it be earned. The gift has already been purchased by the Lord Jesus, and He willingly offers it to all to accept by faith today. Those who know the Lord will assemble in His presence with great joy and thanksgiving. We will sing, praise, and celebrate with adoration unparalleled. But no one will boast of his own works.

For today: I am so glad that I know the Lord Jesus as my Savior. Do you know Him?