The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter” (John 13:7).

The disciples were confused. Christ Jesus their Lord was pouring water into a basin and beginning to wash their feet. The events of that incredible evening would only worsen for these dear disciples. They would hear the dreadful words that Jesus was going to leave them and they could not come with Him. A heart wrenching announcement was made by the Master that one of them would betray Him. They were confused indeed. Can’t you almost hear the voice of the Lord Jesus as He sought to calm their fears? In the language of our day the Lord Jesus seemed to say to them, “You don’t know what I am doing right now. At this moment, you don’t need to understand. However, the day will come when you will understand. Trust me. In your confusion, trust me fully.” I have never been in such an intense situation as were the disciples. But I have been in situations that I did not understand. I could not at that moment comprehend why God would permit this and what He wanted to do. I know you have experienced such situations as well. We will understand someday. If not here on earth, then we will when we get Home.

For today: I rejoice in knowing that the day is coming when all of my question marks will be turned into exclamation points!

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name” (Matthew 6:9).

Miss Sally and Mr. Tom stood before the boisterous group of boys and girls in JOY Club that Tuesday afternoon. What a wonderful opportunity to reach the boys and girls in their community! Sponsored by their local church, this ministry opened their doors to boys and girls who were full of energy! They were having a great time in their afternoon club. Some of the energy of the boys and girls was used up in the game time. This Tuesday afternoon Miss Sally brought in some homemade cookies for a little snack. But now it was time for the Bible lesson. Mr. Tom reminded the boys and girls that this was the most important time in their club. This was what he called “our special time”! This was the time that Mr. Tom would open his Bible and teach the boys and girls God’s Word. He reminded them of why it was important to be very quiet and listen carefully during the Bible lesson. It was because our Father in Heaven is absolutely holy. We want to honor and respect Him. What great principles the boys and girls were learning in the afternoon club! I had the opportunity of being one of the boys and girls in an afternoon Bible club in my little community. My Bible teacher was Miss Glenna. I have been thinking a lot about those days. Come to think of it, being quiet before the Lord, respecting Him because He is awesome, and truly worshiping Him from my heart are things I want to do as an adult even though I learned them as a child. How about you?

For today: Throughout my day, I need to remember that our Father in Heaven is holy.

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed” (Psalm 37:3).

Psalm thirty-seven is a very precious Psalm written by King David. It is packed full of incredible commands, wonderful principles, and very practical application for Godly living. King David instructs the Old Testament believers not to fret because of evildoers. He encourages the followers of the Lord to commit their way unto Him and to rest in Him. All of this centers upon our trust in Him. He uses powerful words that create splendid pictures in our minds. The word “trust” is the Hebrew word batach (ba-TAKH) which gives the idea of “being confident, feeling safe and secure.” I will never forget that weekend. A few years ago when I was traveling from coast to coast preaching in wonderful churches and conducting family conferences, I was invited to a church that taught me a lot about this Hebrew word for trusting. After Sunday school was over, the pastor took me into the church auditorium and right up to the platform. He pointed me to my assigned chair and shared with me that he would be back in just a few moments. The platform of this church had furniture that was at least 100 years old. Perhaps even older! My chair was very elaborate in the wood design. The problem was that the legs were tiny spindles, and as I examined this chair a little closer, it was wobbly! I mean it was very wobbly! I am a large man and looking at that wobbly 100-year-old chair I did not sense any trust in it. I did not feel safe nor did I feel secure. I want to tell you that I prayed throughout that entire service and continued to ask the Lord to please keep me from breaking this chair. How different it is with the Lord! We can trust Him even when we do not understand our situation and circumstances.

For today: The Lord is never wobbly! We can always trust in Him.

“But the LORD shall endure for ever” (Psalm 9:7).

Charlie stood looking at the flower bed just outside their dining room window. The daffodils and crocuses were peeking up through the ground. Seeing this, he turned to his wife and said, “Well finally! After this long and hard winter I wondered if they would ever come up again.” Susanna left the kitchen and came and stood beside her husband looking out the dining room window. They had lived in this home for many years, and the flower bed brought them great joy throughout the early spring as well as summer. Some of the flowers that they would plant would even last quite late into the fall. “You know, honey, seeing the flowers that are springing up and knowing that we will enjoy them for a few short months reminds me that nothing on this earth, apart from people, is eternal. I am so glad that we belong to the Lord who shall endure for ever,” Charlie said to his wife. They both agreed that life here on earth is relatively short. The seasons come, and the seasons go. The flowers spring up. The trees bud. But all too soon fall will come, and the flowers will need to be trimmed back, and the trees will lose their leaves. All of these are just great reminders that our precious God is awesome and He endures forever.

For today: The more I see the coming and going of seasons, the greater is my anticipation of that eternal city with my eternal God!

“And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray Thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of the evil” (Jonah 4:2).

Can you imagine it? An evangelist presented the message, and an entire city repented! You would think that the preacher would be elated! Not so with Jonah. He became enraged. Some state that Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because of his fear. I don’t think so. I believe he didn’t want to go to Nineveh because these people were enemies of Israel. He didn’t want them to hear and repent. He wanted the Lord to destroy them. Read the verse for today once again. Jonah is furious. Think of this. He was glad for the grace of God that extended to him (Jonah 1:17-2:10), but he didn’t want it to extend to his enemies. How does this affect you and me? We need to be careful not to write anyone off. God’s grace can extend to anyone who repents and turns to Him.

For today: Wonderful is the grace of the Lord Jesus that reaches the most unlikely and the most unlovable! I am so glad it reaches me. How about you?