The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“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.

“I wrote to the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth” (3 John 1:9-10).

Diotrephes was a man who apparently was filled with pride and wanted to be the boss over the church. The apostle John wrote that when he comes he would remember this man by the name of Diotrephes and confront him for desiring to have the preeminence. The Lord Jesus Christ is the One that is to have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18). The Lord Jesus is to have the first consideration and to be the sole object of worship and devotion. How sad it is to see someone like Diotrephes who seizes power and exalts himself. Sunday is coming, and I hope that the services in your local church will be wonderful. It is my prayer that neither the pastor nor the people in your local church will love to have the preeminence. When the whole church family desires Christ to be preeminent, it really makes a big difference.

For today: May the Lord Jesus be preeminent in your daily life as well as in your corporate worship!

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).

The older pastor had served the Lord for nearly fifty years. Although many depended on the pastor for many things, few people ever thanked him for his ministry. Sometimes it seemed like quite a long stretch in between the words of appreciation. One particular time in his life the pastor was going through a rather discouraging time. The church was still growing. People were being saved, but this pastor lived with a great deal of pain each day. The cold weather made the pain even worse, and on one particular day this pastor was just simply discouraged. An amazing thing took place that morning. The pastor encountered a particular person in town who told him, “I want you to know that your daughter was a great blessing and ministered in my life this past week. The Lord used her in a very special way to richly bless my life. It must be a joy to have a daughter who loves the Lord Jesus and who is walking with Him!” The pastor was no longer discouraged as joy flooded his heart to be reminded that he could “have no greater joy than to hear that his children walked in truth.”

For today: It’s amazing how much discouragement is lifted when we think of the blessings that the Lord Jesus gives us daily.