The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“I will make them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children” (Deuteronomy 4:10).

Yesterday we spoke of the concern that Moses had for the people of the Lord. He was concerned that even though they met God at Mount Sinai, they might forget about this meeting. He feared the time would come that they would be negligent in the responsibility to teach their children and their grandchildren the ways of the Lord. In our reading today we learned of God’s actual words to the children of Israel. It was God’s purpose that His people would learn to fear Him. This respect would not come automatically, nor would it come easily. They would have to learn to fear Him. It is the same for us today. With all the blessings that we have with a completed canon of Scripture and the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, one would think that we would automatically fear the Lord our God. Unfortunately this is not the case. Spiritual victories and growth in grace do not just happen automatically. They come about by deliberate, intentional learning to fear the Lord our God. This takes place as we read the Scriptures and as we talk with our Lord. Discover everything you can about what the Lord has revealed about Himself in the Word. He is awesome, and we must fear Him all our days.

For today: The more I learn about the Lord, the more I bend my knees in adoration and awe of Him.

“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons’ sons” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Moses was concerned. He was very concerned. Moses knew that there was no other nation on the face of the earth that had the great privilege of standing before God at Mount Sinai. They personally met with the true and the living God at the shaking mountainside. Mount Sinai quaked and smoked at the presence of our great God as He met with the people Whom He had chosen to be His very own. One would think that such a monumental appointment would be a lifelong vivid memory. This is something that every Dad would teach his child. Every child would teach their own children about the day the people of the Lord met with their God. But Moses was concerned that they would in time think less and less of the Lord their God. The time would come when they might even forget about the most important spiritual things. What a lesson for us! I often ask the Lord that as I grow older that I will love Him more and more. I often ask the Lord to keep me from ever developing a calloused heart that would forget about spiritual things. How about you?

For today: I want very much to still be a testimony to the greatness of my God. I want my children and my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren to know of the spiritual heritage of our family.

“And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, ‘You exact usury, every one of his brother.’ And I set a great assembly against them” (Nehemiah 5:6-7).

As you have read the verses today, please understand that you and I have broken into the middle of a very serious situation. After all that Nehemiah and his workers had been through, he discovered that some of the nobles and rulers were mistreating the Jewish brothers. Nehemiah was angry. Look carefully at the things Nehemiah did when he was angry. There is a rich and practical pattern for us to follow. When Nehemiah was angry he did the following things. He slowed down and did not respond rashly. Next he thought through the situation. He actually talked with himself and thought about the situation. Lastly he laid a plan to deal with the situation. His stand was strong and courageous. However it was not rash and revengeful. What a great lesson for us! When we get angry sometimes we do things that later we regret. When I was a police chaplain many years ago, I discovered that alcohol and anger kept the police department very busy. Both are bad and must be avoided! Nehemiah’s self-control is a good lesson and reminder for us today.

For today: There will be plenty of opportunities to be angry. May the Lord give us plenty of opportunities to be wise in our action as well!

“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me. And Ananias went his way” (Acts 9:15, 17).

As far as we know, it was an ordinary day for Ananias. Suddenly the Lord had something very unusual for him to do. Everyone had heard of that Saul of Tarsus. He was a wicked, bad, and hurtful religious man. No believer wanted to meet up with him. In fact, Saul was on his way to Damascus with arrest warrants for any believer that he could find. Ananias did not know that God had stopped Saul in his tracks on the Damascus Road. Now Ananias would have an assignment of going to Saul and reaching out to him. At first Ananias did not want to go. He was afraid of him. But God gave very clear instructions, and Ananias went in obedience to the Lord. Is there someone that you can think of that really needs to hear the gospel and yet you have hesitated to go to because of fear? Today would be a great day to pray and ask the Lord if there is a Saul of Tarsus in your life. Isn’t it interesting that the person least likely to become a Christian in the first century turned out to be a great servant of the Lord? Who is the person in your life that you think would be least likely to become a Christian? That is the person to target in your prayers and with whom you should share the gospel.

For today: Take a moment to read Romans 1:16. It is a great verse!

“And He said unto them, ‘Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses’” (Luke 12:15).

Bumper stickers sometimes convey interesting statements from one driver to another. One bumper sticker stated, “The only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys.” Another bumper sticker read, “He who has the most toys at the end of life is the winner.” While the first bumper sticker may be fairly accurate, the second bumper sticker tragically is wrong. A person’s life does not consist in the things he or she possesses. Several tornadoes struck shortly before suppertime. One major tornado roared through the neighborhood, leveling homes and destroying property. The TV news interviewed a couple who lost everything. The husband composed himself enough to say, “All of our possessions are gone. But we are alive and have each other. Far greater is the fact that we belong to the Lord. We believe that God is good all the time, even today.” While we enjoy our material possessions, we must remember that the value of our lives does not consist of how much stuff we have accumulated.

For today: I appreciate my things and even enjoy my collections. However, these will never define me because a man’s life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses.