The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 111:3).

I left you right in the middle of our story yesterday, didn’t I? Marty’s unsaved father was furious when Marty told him that he did not want to join him in the firm. Rather, Marty very much wanted to go into the ministry. Marty tried to honor his father, but he had to obey God. Marty did go ahead with his plans for a Bible education because he sensed very clearly the call of God upon his life. It was interesting when one night in the men’s dorm several of the freshmen talked about their education. A few of the men spoke about the classes they were enjoying during the first few weeks at Bible College. One of the men shared that he hated being there but that his parents made him come. And then they turned to Marty and said to him, “And how about you Marty? What do you think about being here?” His answer surprised the men in his dorm suite. “I am here because I really sense that the Lord wants me in the ministry, and I view the Lord’s work as being honorable and glorious. My father has disowned me and told me that I am wasting my life. I really hope that I will never lose the thrill of being part of the Lord’s work.” This honorable work is not just for those in ministry. It is serving the Lord in every area of life.

For today: May you and I have the same sense that the Lord’s work is glorious and honorable. This will be reflected in the way we live today.

“His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 111:3).

“Don’t waste your life by going into the ministry! I will not have my son throw away his future!” Eric shouted at his son, Marty. “I want you to forget this nonsense, and you know full well that your mother and I have planned on you joining me in my practice. I don’t want to hear any more about this ministry business,” and with that Eric returned to his newspaper and refused to talk with his son any longer. Marty quietly went to his room and sobbed as he knelt at his bed. On one hand he sensed the strong call of God upon his life, and yet on the other hand he did not wish to dishonor and hurt his father. Two very opposite pulls were breaking his heart. Crying out to the Lord, he asked God to give him wisdom. Some moments later Marty decided to read his Bible. Coming upon Psalm 111 he was reminded of how the work of the Lord is honorable and glorious. Do you want to know what became of Marty? Come back tomorrow and we’ll talk more about Marty. When the Bible speaks of the work of the Lord, it is important to remember that it speaks not just of vocational ministry. Everything that the Lord is doing is an honorable work!

For today: Isn’t it wonderful to belong to the righteous God Whose work is both honorable and glorious?

“O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: He is their help and their shield. You that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: He is their help and their shield. The Lord hath been mindful of us “(Psalm 115:9, 11-12a).

I don’t know about you, but I really love visual object lessons. When I can see it with my own two eyes, it really does help me to understand the situation better. I realize that faith believes without seeing, and that is the standard by which we are to live. However, in His greatness, God does give us visual object lessons. The tiny little nation of Israel is one such object lesson. Every day as you view the events unfolding in the Middle East, watch the tiny little land of Israel. Our great God truly is their Shield. As the Lord has protected Israel over the centuries as she was surrounded by enemies, so the Lord will be our Shield as well. When we are surrounded by hardship or even by temptation, it is wonderful to know that the Lord Himself is our Shield. How will this play out in your life today?

For today: Isn’t it wonderful to have a shield? The Lord Himself is our Shield!

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10).

The Emperor Darius had pretty much decided to set Daniel over the whole realm of his kingdom. Daniel had an excellent testimony. The Scriptures speak of an “excellent spirit in him” (Daniel 6:2). The two other presidents were furious and plotted to overcome Daniel. As you know, they tricked the Emperor into making it illegal to pray to anyone other than himself for thirty days. Those who failed to comply would be thrown into the lions’ den. The wicked presidents must have been sure that they will soon get rid of Daniel. What does Daniel do? He did the same thing he did every other day. What a valuable lesson and encouragement for us today. When threats, pressure, stress, temptation and hardship come upon us, instead of flying to pieces, we need to bend our knees in prayer and trust our great God! How will this play out for you today?

For today: When the way gets hard, may our faith shine brightly.

“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43).

The Lord Jesus is coming to the conclusion of his public ministry before He would go to the cross. John makes an interesting statement about the level of commitment that some of the chief rulers were making. They did believe on Christ and yet failed to confess Him because of their love of the praise of men. Whether these individuals were truly redeemed or not, I do not know. But their actions are noteworthy. They seem to know the truth, and yet they were unwilling to pay any kind of sacrifice to act on it. Today may we overcome any kind of situation that would hold us back from being willing to sacrifice for the Lord Jesus. Whether it is the love of being praised or the fear that may develop, may we truly live and speak of Him in a way that is worthy of His great name!

For today: May the words of my mouth and the actions of my life truly confess that Christ Jesus is my Lord and Savior.