The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness” (Psalm 11:7).

Karen was the only believer who worked in the wing of the accounting division of her company. Her cubicle was in the midst of eight other workers. She appreciated the fact that she was employed with benefits. Her company had very good standards of respect and accountability. But her coworkers were all ungodly and reflected the ways of the world. At lunch their jokes made Karen uncomfortable. She was embarrassed when the other employees talked about their weekend activities. She had been laughed at because of her teetotaler ways. Karen didn’t go to the movies, clubs, or bars. She maintained her Godly quiet testimony, and at work she didn’t fit in. Then the day came when her supervisor said, “Karen, tomorrow morning Sharilynn will be joining our staff. She will be located in the cubicle next to you. Thanks for showing her around.” The next morning when the ladies met, it only took a couple of minutes before they both discovered that each other loved the Lord. What a great blessing to have someone next to her that loved the same things she loved! As the righteous Lord loves righteousness, the same will play out in our personal lives. How does this affect you?

For today: May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing to my righteous Lord.

“Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded” (Exodus 36:1).

Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the building plans for the Tabernacle of the Lord. How absolutely wonderful it must have been to Moses and Joshua to have men like Bezaleel and Aholiab who were especially gifted in the work of being able to read and understand the plans as well as being able to work and build with their hands. When I was the pastor at First Baptist in Marilla, New York, and then Central Baptist of Binghamton, New York, we underwent major building projects. I sat in every building committee meeting, and often I thanked the Lord for the wisdom, understanding, and ability of the men who surrounded me in the ministry. They could read the plans, build with their hands, and were greatly used in the Lord’s work. How about you? Are you one of those builders, or are you one of my kind of people who thank the Lord for the builders?

For today: Whatever the Lord has gifted you to do, do it with all your heart! Your ministry is so important.

“Father, I will that they also, Whom Thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold My glory” (John 17:24).

Recently I was speaking with a friend at church about the account of Moses being hidden in the cleft of the rock. Moses asked God to show him His glory (Exodus 33:18). God explained that no one is equipped to see the glory of God and still live. Hence God instructed Moses that He would hide him in the rocks, cover him with His hand, and allow him to see the afterglow of God’s glory after He passed by. Later when Moses returned to the camp from Mt. Sinai, everyone was afraid of him because his face was shining (Exodus 34:30). All of that is wonderful; however, think of what awaits the believer. The Lord Jesus told His Father that His greatest desire (“I will”) is to have those that are given to Him by the Father to be with Him where they will behold and gaze upon His glory. I know that I don’t comprehend the splendor and majesty of our Savior, but I do look forward to meeting Him and seeing His glory. How about you?

For today: Every day is a step closer to being Home and seeing His glory! WOW!

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David” (Luke 1:32).

Michael came home from the conference and spoke to Charity his wife about the man who had ridden with them. “He was arrogant, boastful, and proud in the way he talked about his ministry, his family, and his education. If I heard just one more way this man is so great, I think I would have screamed,” he told his wife, who by this time was giving him a hug. “I have never seen someone who is so full of himself,” he continued sharing with his wife. Later that night, one of Charity and Michael’s young sons took a turn picking out the Scripture to be read in family devotions. It was this passage in which our verse is found. How it hit Michael that night to listen to his young son reading about the Lord Jesus, Who is great! How about you? Aren’t you glad our Savior is the One Who is great? We are not the great ones. He is great!

For today: Folks may be very good in the things that they can do; however, there is only One Who is great!

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

From yesterday you’ll remember Mackie, short for Mackenzie. She was a ninth grader in the Christian school in her area. Mackie was only six when the police came to her house and discovered that she and her younger brother were dirty, hungry, and in a desperate situation. Now Mackie and her brother have a new family that adopted them. In Bible class one morning, the teacher and students were discussing Romans 8:38-39. Mackie raised her hand and quietly said, “I really wonder how many in this class understand what it is like to know that nothing can separate them from God’s love. I think I am ready to tell my story, Mr. Langdon.” The class grew silent as she continued. “You are very blessed to have a mom and dad who love you and who want you. When you talk about your parents loving you, I can’t relate to that, and I wonder how many of you know what a blessing you have! My parents may have loved me, but they didn’t show it to my brother and me. We went hungry every day. The police came to our house and took us away. The best meal I can remember when I was little was in the back of the police car. I don’t know the officer’s name, but he said, ‘We’re going to McDonalds. You can order anything you want!’ My little brother and I had French fries that were hot and burgers that were good. I can still remember it. Then we met Mr. and Mrs. Williamson. They adopted us. I didn’t believe that anyone could love us. I did everything I could think of to make them stop loving us, but they didn’t. Best of all, I have come to know that God loves me in a way that He will never give up on me and will never forsake me. Do you understand how great this is?” The class was silent for many moments as the truth of God’s Word and the testimony of this student impacted them.

For today: How does Romans 8:38-39 impact your life?