The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10).

Harvey was a strange little man. At least that is what some of the townsfolk thought of him. He lived very simply without many of the luxuries of life. When folks spoke to Harvey, it didn’t take long for them to hear the often repeated message, “This world is not my home. I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue!” While others worked several jobs to pay for their big houses, swimming pools, beautiful cars, and many of the things this world has to offer, Harvey lived for the Lord and trusted Him fully, just as did Abraham. Even though the Lord promised Abraham the entire land, and even though Abraham became a very wealthy man, his roots were not deep in this old world. He continued to look for that city which has foundations whose Builder and Maker is God. What a good lesson for us today. We better not get our roots too deep in this old world. It is not our home.

For today: That little chorus that Harvey used to share is good for us as well.

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).

I have enjoyed collecting old books over the years. One of the sets I obtained years ago and just recently sold in a garage sale details the engineering of the Ford Model T cars. It was fun to look at, even though I have no clue about those engineering terms. But guess what? As interesting as the material is, it is profoundly outdated. Ford engineers would smile if they were to build cars today based on the information in my collection. It also was time to get rid of some outdated material that was unneeded. The Word of God is so very different. It is not the product of man. It is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Don’t ever let my brief Daily Prescriptions be a substitute for reading God’s Word. Go ahead! Open your Bible and read it. Though it was written thousands of years ago, it is reliable and up-to-date. You can trust it, and you will be wise to obey it.

For today: Have you read your Bible today? The Author Himself wants to talk with you!

“And John departing from them returned to Jerusalem” (Acts 13:13).

We are not sure what caused John Mark to forsake the mission team. Some believe it was because of loneliness, others believe it was discouragement, and still others believe it was direct disobedience. Whatever the reason for John’s early departure, it caused Paul to be reluctant to bring him on the next trip (Acts 15:36-41). That was the bad news; now for the good news. Later in John Mark’s life, he proved himself to be trustworthy and a valued member of the ministry team. In fact, the apostle Paul said that he is “profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). Here is a great lesson for us to learn and apply personally. There is a great difference between finishing and quitting! From time to time many servants of the Lord battle the temptation to quit. Thankfully, many overcome that temptation, thereby finishing their ministries well. Perhaps today you are tempted to quit. Remember there is great joy in finishing well. There will be great regret in quitting early. May the Lord give you wisdom to discern the difference!

For today: I want to be a finisher. How about you?

“But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me” (John 15:21).

Things were rough on the mission field. By and large the missionaries were not welcomed nor were they wanted in the community. For many generations the tribe had followed the customs of their ancestors and worshipped gods of wood and stone. The missionaries slowly made contact and were treated hatefully. It could have been a very discouraging situation except for these several facts. First, the missionaries knew that it was not so much the village people hating them as it was their hatred for Christ. Second, they knew it was the will of the Lord Jesus for them to make contact with this tribal village to share the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus with them. Do you remember that you are also on a mission field? Though you may not be in a remote tribal village, you serve the Lord Jesus in a similar culture that is steeped in idolatry and hatred for Christ. When you are treated wrongfully for the gospel’s sake, remember this blessed truth. It is not nearly so much that the unsaved hate you as it is that they really hate the Savior to Whom you belong.

For today: If I should suffer a little for the Gospel, I will rejoice greatly in my awesome Savior to Whom I wonderfully belong!

“I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy Word” (Psalm 119:101).

What a tremendous Psalm. Although it is very lengthy in nature, it is very practical in presenting the Word of our great God and the necessity of our compliance to it! The Psalmist writes about his great love and respect for the Word of God. Earlier he spoke about memorizing God’s Word to keep him from sinning (119:11). Carol was enjoying summer vacation, but she did miss JOY Club which was in recess until the fall. She and her playmates were enjoying their time together in the little park near their home. Each brought along a little bit of change to go to the convenience store just next door to the park. Earlier that year Carol had learned the verse you read for today’s daily prescription. It surely came in handy that morning! Several of her playmates decided they were going to keep their change and steal the candy from the convenience store. Carol tried to persuade them otherwise, but they were insistent. Immediately she ran back to her home and told her mother about the situation. What a great lesson for each of us as adults! May we be hiding God’s Word in our hearts to keep us from sinning against Him. Throughout our busy day, it ought to be our prayer that God will help us to refrain our feet from every evil way, so that we would obey His Word.

For today: Allow God’s Word to operate in your life today. You’ll be glad you did!