The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out there a fame of Him through all the region round about. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all” (Luke 4:14-15).

Great things were in store for the people in the region of the Galilee, which is in the northern part of Israel. Some of the greatest miracles and greatest demonstrations of His power would take place in the Galilee. When I was a pastor, it was my privilege to take various groups over to Israel. The Galilee was my favorite area as we stood in the same locations in which our Savior stood so many years ago. I am excited because this same Lord Jesus is building His church and working through His people today. There are many times that I feel so weak and so very inadequate for the tasks before me. I was thinking of the boys and girls who love to sing that wonderful song “Jesus Loves Me.” There is a specific phrase that comes to mind in that beautiful little song. It is, “We are weak, but He is strong!” Whatever you are facing today, remember that it is the same Lord Jesus that comes to you in power through the Holy Spirit that resides in you, if you know Him as your personal Savior. You are not on your own. This powerful Lord is with you and wants to help you.

For today: “Rejoice in Christ, and keep your eyes on Him!

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Yesterday we talked about the city built on a hillside. During the nighttime hours, that city could easily be seen because of the lights in various buildings. The Lord Jesus continues His discussion of how He wants His disciples to impact the world around them. The Lord Jesus clearly commands that we are to depend on Him to live through us, and in so doing we will be letting our light shine before men. The outcome is not designed to make us look good. The goal is to glorify God. We talked about Stephen yesterday in that very corrupt office. Stephen was promoted to management, and his first assignment in the large business was on the fifth floor engineering department. Corruption had infiltrated that office, and the result of that was a very present darkness that permeated the workplace. Stephen asked the Lord to help him to be gracious and godly. He met with the staff and shared with them his expectations, and he encouraged them that he expected everyone on his team, including himself, to always do what is right. Always! Great changes were to come to that office over a period of time because Stephen was willing and eager to let his light so shine that they could see the Lord Jesus working in and through him.

For today: Be excited about the opportunities to point others to Christ today.

“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).

The Lord Jesus is engaged in a tremendous ministry in the Galilee region. There on the northern slopes of the Sea of Galilee, the Lord Jesus preaches His great Sermon on the Mount. He uses the vivid illustration of what happens when a city is built on the hillside. In the full force daytime sunshine, that city is not quite as noticeable. But when nightfall occurs, the various lights of buildings large and small make that city very easily seen. The darker the night, the brighter that city will be that is built on the hillside. The illustration is obvious. In a very precious way the Lord Jesus wants to be the Light of our lives that will be clearly seen in this very dark world. That is exactly how that worked out for Stephen in his workplace. He came into an office that was corrupt and filled with the darkness of sin. It didn’t take long before he stood out in that office. He was exactly like a city built on the side of a mountain. Though it was difficult, he continued to live before the others as a true testimony to the life-changing effects of the gospel. Where will your light be shining today?

For today: We are the city built on a hill that cannot be hid. Let the Lord Jesus shine through you today!

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honor preferring one another” (Romans 12:10).

Ruth taught the four and five year old Sunday school class. In fact, she taught this class for over twenty years. None of the teachers wanted to be honored for their ministry. However, the pastor insisted that the church family wanted to honor them, and he “encouraged” each teacher to be there. It was a beautiful night. Each teacher would be honored this year by someone speaking about their teaching ministry. The pastor started with the adult class first and then worked his way down through the classes of the teachers. It was interesting to hear the testimonials of the children as they spoke of their teachers. When it came to Ruth’s class, to her surprise, Richard, a teenager, came and addressed the bewildered teacher. “Miss Ruth, I wanted to say thank you for teaching me when I was a little kid. I was selfish and a bully,” Richard quietly said. He turned to the audience and continued, “Miss Ruth patiently taught me the lesson of being kind to others and loving them in a way as to put them first. I didn’t do very well with that at first, but I want to thank Miss Ruth for not giving up on me. What a great teacher you are.” With that, an embarrassed but thankful Ruth stood and hugged the teenager as he returned to his seat amidst the applause. The same lesson sounds good for us to learn as well.

For today: How will I demonstrate brotherly love and prefer others before me?

“The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory” (Psalm 64:10).

Tim and Laurie loaded their family into the van and headed on their way to present their ministry in a church across the state. As the family journeyed together, their daughters started teasing Dad. It seemed that everyone on the expressway was passing them. They didn’t pass anyone, except for the person who pulled over because of a flat tire. Dad took their teasing fairly well. Their teasing was all in fun. They knew that Dad would not exceed the speed limit because, as he always put it, “I want to please the Lord in every area of my life. That includes obeying the speed limit.” Pretty soon a car came flying up behind them. Dangerously swerving around them, the driver of the speeding car blew his horn and screamed something as he flew past them. The girls were frightened and frankly, Dad and Mom were a little shaken as well. Less than five minutes later, around the bend of the expressway, that very driver was sitting on the side of the road with a New York State Trooper stopped behind him. As the family drove by, the young girls were fixated on the flashing lights and the very tall Trooper speaking to the man in the car. Dad lead his family in prayer, asking the Lord to protect the police officer. He continued his prayer by saying, “And Lord, I am thankful that we can remember it is always best to obey You. The righteous shall be glad in you, Lord.” That sounds like a pretty good lesson for all of us.

For today: When we do the right thing because we love the Lord, we will be glad.