The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments” (Psalm 119:5-6).

The Psalmist writes of the great respect, fear, wonder, and admiration he had when considering the Word of God. Every verse of Psalm 119 speaks of the Word of God. In our verse for today the Psalmist expresses in a deep inner groaning how very much he wants to keep God’s Word. Can’t you just hear him say, “O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes”? Ernie often prayed a very similar prayer. When praying in a group, there would be times others would smile as old Ernie would pray, “Lord, you know how easy it is for me to drift one way or the other. There are deep ditches on both sides of the road, so please keep me from drifting. O that my ways were directed to keep your statutes!” Come to think of it, that’s a great prayer for us to be praying today as well!

For today: I want a heart that is sensitive toward the presence of my Savior and the importance of His Word. How about you?

“And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph” (Genesis 39:1-2).

What a strange statement, “The Lord was with Joseph.” Wouldn’t you expect that if the Lord was so much “with Joseph” that nothing bad like being sold to wicked people and being kidnapped from his country would ever have happened to him? If the Lord was “with Joseph,” why didn’t He stop his brothers from throwing him into a pit (Genesis 37:24)? Why didn’t He stop the sale of Joseph to these Ishmaelite merchants (37:28)? We often do not understand the ways of the Lord. Though the brothers meant it to be harmful and wicked to Joseph, God was actually providing free transportation to the next prime minister of Egypt. I must be careful not to misinterpret the working of the Lord just because I don’t understand what He is trying to do.

For today: Be careful today not to wrongly judge the working of the Lord. Give Him time and trust in His goodness always.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation” (Deuteronomy 31:14).

The old pastor was way past his days of competence. Speaking to a younger pastor, the old man said, “I suppose I need to think about retiring someday, but there’s just no one to take my place. I don’t want all my years of work to go down the drain.” The younger pastor was quite outspoken and yet true when he said, “Carl, you make me laugh. If the Lord had Joshua to replace Moses, He certainly can take care of a replacement for you. You are nowhere close to Moses, my dear brother.” What a good reminder for each of us. We need to walk with the Lord, serve Him to the best of our abilities, but also always remember that we are not indispensable. When it was time for Moses to conclude his ministry, God had Joshua ready.

For today: I am not indispensable. Moses had his Joshua. I will have mine when that time comes.

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16).

Paul was overwhelmed and deeply touched emotionally by the idolatry of the ancient city of Athens. It was “wholly given to idolatry.” Thinking of our own beloved country, what a pagan society is developing all around us! Church attendance is dwindling. Fewer and fewer Americans consistently worship the Lord in local churches. Yet our sports stadiums are packed. Sports figures are paid exorbitant amounts of money. This is just one of the evidences of growing idolatry. Bible-believing people sense the growing darkness of paganism and rejection of God’s Word. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that God is still on the throne and in full control. It is an exciting time to be a believer. Maybe today the Lord will come for us.

For today: Faithful to the Lord I want to be. What a privilege to be a light in the growing darkness of the day.

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them” (Acts 8:5).

Of all places, Philip preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus in the city of Samaria. Guess what? This is just exactly where he should preach it! Earlier the Lord Jesus had told the disciples to preach the gospel and be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria (Acts 1:8). Though the Samaritans often were the outcasts, Philip had a tremendous ministry there. No ethnicity should ever be thought to be hopeless. No situation should ever be thought insurmountable. The gospel must be preached in person, on the radio, or via printed material to every people group and ethnicity. I appreciate the ministry of Philip. How about you?

For today: I am grateful that the gospel is being preached all over the world. May no one be excluded in this great mission.