The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

We sometimes read through this section pretty quickly because we know that the three men were thrown into the furnace and that the Lord Jesus Himself came and protected them and everything turned out great. We close our Bibles and head out the door and think little about it again. Let’s stop right where we are. Think of these three young men. Kidnapped from their homeland, these young men had already experienced a great deal of hardship and tragedy in their lives. When offered the chance to bow down and worship the pagan image, they answered, “We don’t need time to think about this, your Majesty! Our God is able to deliver us, we know. But if He doesn’t deliver us and we die, then we will still not bow down and worship your gods, nor the golden image which you have set up.” Their faith cost them something. I am not sure I have ever experienced more than being laughed at. Recently Christians in a chapel service in Kenya were separated from Muslims and killed instantly by Islamic terrorists. In many other places Christians are paying dearly for their testimony. Here in our own beloved country, the tide is surely shifting away from Biblical morality, and some believers are beginning to pay a price for their faith. May we today be of great cheer and empowerment, realizing that we belong to the same God as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He will give us the same courage.

For today: May our backbones be filled with courage and our hearts filled with compassion as we live for Christ right now.

“Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O you kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due His name. Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth” (Psalm 96:6-9).

Oscar was a man that lived pretty flippantly when it came to eternal things. He called the church “a bunch of hypocrites.” His wife’s Bible was often referred to by Oscar as “the biggest book of fairy tales ever written.” When it came to the Lord Himself, Oscar referred to Him as “the man upstairs.” (Don’t you just hate it when you hear people refer to the Lord in that way?)Then the day came. A friend of the family stopped him in the middle of his sentence and said, “Oscar, I have known you for years, and the time has come that I must risk my friendship with you to tell you that the One you think so little of is the same One before Whom you will bow and confess that He is Lord.” Oscar was speechless, and it started him on a path that lead him to bow his knees in submission and devotion to the great and exalted LORD God. How about you? Are you beginning to understand how great is our God?

For today: I want to know more about my exalted Lord. How about you?

“Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy” (Psalm 99:9).

What powerful words are written in Psalm 99. If you have a moment, read through the entire Psalm, and you will find the writer giving a brief historical account of God’s awesome, incredible works. He manifested His power and glory in the ministry of Moses, Aaron and Samuel (99:6). He revealed Himself in the cloudy pillar (99:7). At the revelation of Himself, people trembled (99:1). He is great in Zion (99:2) and exalted forever (99:5). One of the most powerful revelations about Himself is His holiness (99:3, 5, 9). I am thankful that we don’t have to travel all the way to Jerusalem to worship at the hill or mountain of the Lord. Daily in my heart I gladly bow before Him and acknowledge how awesome He is. I am the first to admit that after studying God’s Word for fifty years, I know so little of how vast and great is our awesome God. But I do know that in my heart and personal life, I want to exalt the Lord and worship Him. Why? It is because I know that my God is holy. How about you? Will today be a day of exalting the Lord with me?

For today: ”God is great.” The youngest child recites this, and the oldest believer rejoices in it.

“But Thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. For, lo, Thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, Thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered” (Psalm 92:8-9).

Marley scoffed at his neighbors because they loved the Lord, went to church on Sunday and were always carrying their Bibles with them. As sweet as the Jefferson family treated him, Marley was just plain and simply downright rude and hostile in his contempt of God. Thinking she was alone with her husband, Faith asked Ken, “What makes a man so miserable?” They didn’t know that their seven-year-old Derek was listening. Suddenly Derek burst into the kitchen and answered the question by saying, “Because he wants to be ‘cause he doesn’t know Jesus as his Savior. He’s not going to Heaven is he, Dad?” It was a moment that was unplanned in the Jefferson home, and yet it was an excellent opportunity to teach and share with Derek. You know, friends, it is becoming much more apparent that the true and living God does have many people that are growing in hostility toward Him. I am thankful that He is MOST HIGH FOR EVERMORE! The day of reckoning is coming for those who continue to reject Him. Oh, how we need to be people who are diligent in our witness and faithful in outreach.

For today: I am glad that I am counted as being on the Lord’s side. How about you?

“Sanctify them through Thy Truth: Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17).

The night before the Lord Jesus went to the cross He prayed His great prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. With every group that I took to Israel, I honestly never got over the massive emotions of being in that Garden. Sometimes I would have a few people in our group that I didn’t know very well. Most of my groups were members of the church I pastored, so I knew them pretty well. I knew their struggles, fears, doubts, weaknesses, and struggles. Pastors know their people somewhat. The Lord Jesus knows His people thoroughly, entirely. The words of our Savior as He prayed that night, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth,” rang in my mind every time I took a group there. The word “sanctify” has the idea of “setting apart, separate from profane things and dedicated to God.” Notice that this takes place through the operation of the Word. That’s why it is so important for you and me to be in the Word today.

For today: May the reading of Your Word, dear Lord, cause us to become closer to You and purer in our walk.