The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mark 5:19).

The demon-possessed man of Gadara was in a deplorable situation. Hopelessly lost, dreadfully wicked, and incredibly vile, people everywhere knew of him. Day and night he cried in the tombs, injured himself with stones, and could not be controlled even with chains. Then everything changed when the Lord Jesus came to Gadara. Mark describes his new condition in verse 15 as being, “Sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.” What a change the Lord made in his life! Now he would know the joy of going home to his family and friends and telling them of the life-changing power of the Lord Jesus Christ. What about you, dear friend? Though you might not have experienced the characteristics of the man of Gadara, you and I both were hopelessly lost until we asked the Lord Jesus to be our Savior. Who today will you tell about the wonderful things the Lord Jesus has done for you?

For today: Think of the great things the Lord Jesus has done. Don’t keep them a secret!

“A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1)

Two women stood at the end of the hallway. Obviously there was a problem. Over the course of several moments, their voices became louder and louder. As one screamed her opinion, the other shouted her opinion a little louder. Though standing less than a foot away from each other, their voices reached deafening levels. Have you ever been in such a situation? Too bad that at least one of these women didn’t think about the life principle that says, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” It is very difficult to shout during an argument with someone who remains very calm and quiet. Try it sometime and watch it work!

For today: Lord, please help me to guard my tongue, my tone, and even my volume!

“I, even I, am the LORD; and besides me there is no Savior” (Isaiah 43:11).

“It’s a one of a kind. You will never find another like it” the salesman barked with authority. Hank and her dear wife Rita were courteous and thanked him as they kept moving along at the local John and June’s Original Flea Market. Both giggled as they approached the salesman two booths down who was marketing the same product. Rita picked the little collectible up and looked at it. “Listen lady, I can tell you” the smiling salesman said. “At this price, it’s a steal. It is a one of a kind and you can have it today for $2.95. What a deal.” Putting it back down Rita cleverly said, “I don’t want to be in possession of stolen property!” Off they walked hardly able to contain their laughter. “We surely have seen lots of those one of a kind pieces of junk that seems to be all over the place” Hank said. “If they only knew the One Who is truly “One of a kind! What a wonderful Savior we have and love” he continued. You know friends, only the Lord is unique. He proclaimed to the ancient people His uniqueness. His message is still true today. There are not many roads to Heaven. There is only one. It is through the Lord Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection. Aren’t you grateful for the wonderful truth that He is the one and only Savior?

For today: Call me politically incorrect if you want, but I am glad I belong to the only Savior!

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

It was just a typical hospital call. The man I was to visit was scheduled to be discharged the next day. I didn’t know him. It turned out that as he was being admitted when it came time to list a church, he listed the one I pastored. After meeting the man and introducing myself, I asked a little about him and his situation. The man was very open to me and it was a pleasant visit. The opportunity for presenting the gospel however didn’t seem to be coming around very easily. It was growing time to leave but I felt impressed to share the gospel with him, which I did. At the end of the gospel presentation he began to cry and said, “I’ve been waiting for something like this. I didn’t know what it was. But I knew there was something missing. Something big is missing in my life and now I know what it is.” That day he asked the Lord to be his Savior. Tomorrow? Instead of being discharged he suddenly died. I never got over the fact that I almost waited until the next visit to share Christ with him. What a good reminder for us all in that we must never boast ourselves of tomorrow. We don’t know what a day will bring forth. Can you imagine the thrill of that man? Today he trusts Christ as his Savior. Tomorrow He meets the Lord Jesus in Heaven! Wow!

For today: Is there someone that you know who needs to hear about the Lord Jesus? Make it a wonderful day as you walk with the Lord. Karen and I love you and appreciate you so much.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Do you ever try to accomplish something without reading the directions? Most of us do at one time or another. The humorous but true saying “If everything else fails try reading the directions” could be pinned on several folks I know, including me. That brings us to Lori who had been married only two weeks when she decided to make a pie for her new husband, Reuben. Knowing how much he loved cherry pie, she wanted to make it to please him. She phoned her mom and said, “I don’t think I can do this. It never seemed complicated when I baked with you in your kitchen. Now it seems impossible to me.” Her wise mother laughed just a little and then calmly said, “Honey, follow the recipe. Take your time and do what the directions say.” The next day, Lori called home again and laughing with her mother, confessed that mom was right. All she had to do was follow the directions. It is the same with following the Lord Jesus. Regardless of our pagan society that demands inclusivism, if you want to come to the Father, you must follow the directions and come through the Lord Jesus. Our culture demands inclusivism. Our Savior warns clearly, NO MAN COMES TO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME. I believe the Lord Jesus and rejoice that one day I made the decision to trust Him alone.

For today: Isn’t it sad to see dear people who refuse to follow the directions?