The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“And Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel. And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, thou shalt not go over this Jordan. The Lord thy God, He will go over before you” (Deuteronomy 31:1-3).

I can well remember the day soon after I began my ministry as the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Westfield, New York, that I had a hospital call to make at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, PA. Several of us were chatting after the morning service when somebody asked me, “Well Pastor, how are you doing? Are you learning your way around this area?” I actually had been doing quite well in view of the fact that there were no tools like MapQuest or GPS. I told the group, “The real test comes tomorrow as I have a hospital call at Hamot. I’ve never been to Erie, Pennsylvania, before, so this will be a good test for me.” One of the ladies told me, “Pastor, why don’t you just follow me? Every day I travel to Erie and work just a few blocks from Hamot. Just follow me.” What a great blessing that turned out to be. I didn’t have to be concerned about directions, I simply had to follow. It would be the exact same way with the children of Israel. The Lord promised to go before them. All they had to do was follow. It’s the same with us today. God’s Word gives us direction, and we must follow Him.

For today: Remember the chorus, “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow.” Let that little chorus go around and around through your mind today!

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God, the faithful God” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

Moses was speaking to the second generation of the children of Israel. For forty years they wandered in the wilderness waiting to go into the Promised Land. Throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminded that second generation of Who God is, what He wants to do, and what they must remember about Him. What an awesome statement about our great God! He is God. He is the faithful God. This reminds us that there is no one other than Him. He can be fully trusted. He is totally reliable. He may not always do what we think He is going to do. He may not answer our prayers the way we have them all figured out. His timing may not be our timing. He may say no to the most sincere prayer that we could ever lift up to Him. He may never explain to us why the answer is no. But on this you can fully depend: He is God. He is the faithful God.

For today: Trust Him fully. You may be disappointed when He answers no to your prayers, but you will never be disappointed in Him.

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Charlotte got out of her car and walked around to the back of it. Looking at her flat tire she folded her arms and sighed. Looking around the neighborhood it appeared that not a single neighbor was home. “It’s been forty years since I’ve changed the tire,” she said to herself. “Lord, it is obvious that I am going to be late for my appointment. Please help my doctor’s office to be understanding, and help AAA to get here quickly,” she prayed. Walking away from the car and up to her front porch, Charlotte stopped and continued talking with the Lord as she said, “And Lord, while I do not understand exactly why you allowed this to happen to me today, I remember from my devotions a couple of days ago where I read in your Word that in everything I am to give you thanks. So Lord, thank you for whatever you have purposed to do in this interruption today.” How about you? In your frustrating situations, don’t forget to give God thanks for Who He is and what He is doing.

For today: I need to be much more thankful in every situation. How about you?

“If you then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Jamie and Shari graduated together from the same college. They became good friends after meeting at a Christian fellowship activity sponsored by one of the local churches in the neighborhood. How exciting it when the same company hired both of them. It was there they met John, who worked in their department. It didn’t take long to discover that John, though employed full-time with a good salary and benefits package, really didn’t have his heart in his work. Several times he was caught sending emails to clients he was trying to serve in the part-time business he was starting. Once on company time he ran a few errands for his part-time business when he was supposed to be at his desk. Jamie and Shari both agreed that as serious as this was, it would be even more serious if they lost track of the fact that because they are risen in Christ, their affection and attention must be on those things that please the Lord. John’s lack of seeking the good of his employer served as a great reminder to them. This is good for us as well.

For today: Seeking those things above ought to be a delight and not drudgery.

“How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel” (Ephesians 3:3, 6).

The congregational singing was absolutely beautiful that day. Looking up from the hymnal, Lois glanced over several pews, and there before her, two ladies were holding the same hymnal. The lady on the left was Jewish. The lady on the right was Gentile. Both were singing “Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all. He is my strength from day to day, Without Him I would fall. When I am sad to Him I go, No other one can cheer me so; When I am sad, He makes me glad, He’s my friend.” Lois looked back at her hymnal and saw that the hymn was written by Will L. Thompson. She looked back up at her Jewish and Gentile friends and whispered to the Lord, “Thank you so very much for Mr. Thompson’s hymn. But even more, thank you, dear Lord, for today. What a marvelous age in which to live, Lord. There is my Jewish and Gentile friends holding the same hymnal, singing of their Savior, and we are part of the same Body. What a grand day, Lord!” She finished praying just in time to sing the last verse. How about you? Whether you are Jewish or Gentile isn’t it great that the most important thing is that you are a Christian?

For today: I am going to enjoy being part of the Lord’s great family today. How about you?