The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Yesterday we thought of Shelly and her many difficulties. At times it felt as if everything and everybody were against her. Then the day came when she read Romans 8, and even though she had read it many times before, suddenly this verse seemed to leap from the page of the Scriptures. It was as if the Holy Spirit was showing her something that she had never seen before. Because she knew the Lord Jesus as her own personal Savior, this glorious, awesome, hard-to-describe assurance came to her. According to Romans 8:31, God was for her! Even though her life was still filled with difficulties, she began to view them through a totally different grid. She had the new mindset, “So you have come to make my life difficult, have you? Well, let me tell you, ‘God is for me,’ so you better watch out!” At times she actually smiled as she thought of this expression time after time. How about you? Have you made the same discovery as Shelly?

For today: Watch out, problems! God is for us!

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

What a difficult time Shelly was going through. If something could go wrong, it seemed to for her. She had a difficult childhood. Throughout her teen years she never seemed to fit in with “the popular crowd.” At work she seemed to always answer the phone with the most unpleasant customers. Her dad often berated her for not turning out like her doctor sister. Sometimes Shelly felt like everything and everybody were against her. In a particularly hard time, she picked her Bible up, and in her regular reading she came to Romans 8 and read the full chapter. Suddenly she came to the verse in our Daily Prescriptions. She stopped and read it again. What an impact on her life! We’ll think a little more about this tomorrow. For now, think of the joyous blessing of having God be for us!

For today: No matter what comes along throughout your day, if you know Christ as your Savior, your God is for you!

“And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment” (1 John 3:23).

Have you ever wondered what the phrase to “believe on the name of His Son” means? Riley and Mark were talking about this question in the break room at work. “When the Bible speaks about the Lord’s name,” Mark said, “it means everything about the Lord. It has to do with what He says, Who He is, what He does, and what His purpose is.” Riley was quiet for a moment, and then thoughtfully said, “So believing on the name of the Son of God basically means I accept for fact everything the Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ.” The men had such a good discussion on their fifteen minute break that morning. Riley concluded by saying, “Mark, I know I have a lot to learn about Him, but with all my heart I do believe what the Bible says about my Savior.” With that it was time to get back to work. How about you, friend? Do you “believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ”?

For Today: I want my life to testify to the fact that I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. How about you?

“And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:4).

The next event to occur on God’s revealed prophetic timeline is the Rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Seven years later, the Lord Jesus with His Church and the armies of Heaven will return to this earth (Revelation 19:11-15). Touchdown will be east of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives as described in our text today. You see, the first time that the Lord Jesus came to the earth, He came quietly to Bethlehem as a baby. The second time He comes to the earth, He will come spectacularly, with the blaze of glory and the loudest of announcements that He has arrived! As a believer, aren’t you excited about the day He will come for us and then seven years later when He returns with us?

For today: Now read 1 John 3:2-3 and see how these verses go along with our Daily Prescription for today.

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

In our latest prayer letter, (which can be read in the About Me, Prayer Letter section of www.michaelpeck.org), I used this verse to share with our supporters how Karen and I view them. As commissioned supported missionaries, Karen and I wrote to our partners once again and thanked them for standing with us and making our ministry possible. So many of my resources can be freely offered because very dear and generous people make it possible. I wonder who the individuals were at Thessalonica that helped the Apostle Paul and made him thankful. He wrote of their growing faith and their abounding love for each other. Here’s the question for today. I must ask myself, “Am I living in such a way that Paul could be thankful for my faith and love?” How about you?

For today: When folks think of us, are they bound to give thanks?