The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” Revelation 2:4).

The Lord Jesus is sending His message to the church at Ephesus. Many wonderful things were taking place at this church, and the Lord Jesus mentions them. If you have a few minutes, you will find them in Revelation 2:2-3. However, there was a really significant problem that was growing at this church. They were organized. They were busy. They were doing good things. But they were cooling off in their love and personal devotion to the Lord Jesus. What an important lesson for us today. My busyness does not necessarily mean my devotion! I might be very, very busy doing wonderful things, but just how much do I really love the Lord Jesus? The more I get to know Him through reading the Scriptures and spending time with Him in prayer, the more I will truly love Him.

For today: Get to really know the Lord Jesus through His Word. The more you get to know about Him, the more you will love Him.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

It was a blessed time at the missions’ conference. A quiet, humble lady laid several little pamphlets on the table of her display. She quietly greeted the people and then took her seat as the musicians began playing the prelude. She was presented to the congregation and introduced as the first speaker to give her testimony. Everything she said was either about the Lord Jesus and His amazing greatness or the people to whom the Lord had called her to serve. She turned all attention off herself and redirected the attention to the Lord or to her people. When the pastor really pressed her to share about herself personally, she quietly shared her testimony and revealed that she was a tribal linguist who was involved in a major translation project. She was brilliant, but you would never have known it by her humble actions. What a great example for all of us!

For today: The proud toots his own horn, but the music is never sweet.

“Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

The children’s ministries director asked the boys and girls to quote any verse from the Bible. Some of the children recited verses that they had learned in children’s church, Sunday school, and JOY club. Marty was typically the clown of the class, and when it was his turn to recite a verse, he jumped up and hollered, “Jesus wept, John 11:35,” and shot back to his seat. Several of the boys and girls laughed at Marty. Luke and Martha Pickens had worked with this age group for years. Mr. Luke was ready for him. Without embarrassing him or calling attention to his inappropriate behavior, this loving teacher seized this golden opportunity. Almost whispering, he instantly gained the attention of the boys and girls. “All right, boys and girls, listen,” he quietly spoke. “We ought to thank Marty for this wonderful verse. It is one of the most amazing verses in all of the Scriptures. The Lord Jesus not only loved Lazarus, He loved the people that were all around that day. Even though it is a very short verse, it is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus. He is very, very special indeed, boys and girls. He was sad that so many people didn’t know Him, and He cried because He loved Lazarus very much,” Mr. Luke said. In that moment he turned the class around, and in spite of Marty’s misbehavior, it was a blessed reminder of how much the Lord Jesus cares about us.

For today: Aren’t you glad that you belong to the Lord Jesus? Don’t you wish everybody did?

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance” (Isaiah 40:12).

Family devotions were finished, and the older children got up and left the family room. Joni snuggled just a little longer with Mommy and Daddy. Even though she was only four years old, family devotions were her favorite part of the day. She loved to listen to her daddy read the Bible and she enjoyed being part of the family prayer time. Several times she made a couple of her older brothers giggle with some of the things she prayed. But tonight no one giggled when in her childlike faith she prayed, “Dear God, I know You are bigger than my tricycle. I know You are even bigger than my room. Dear God, You are even bigger than my house. Thank you for being so big!” and then her little prayer time went on in various directions to the point where Daddy had to tap her knee and she promptly concluded her prayer. After some snuggle time, Joni was off to her room to get ready for bed. Her daddy, David, lingered for a few moments and remembered reading the words of Isaiah 40:12 a few days ago in his personal Bible reading time. This verse describes the awesome immensity and the vastness of our God. Truly our God is awesome not only in what He does but also in Who He is.

For today: If He can do the things mentioned in Isaiah 40:12, He can surely take care of us today.

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

It is a beautiful Seth Thomas mantle clock that is proudly displayed on Grandpa’s shelf. Grandma frequently dusted the old clock, and almost everyone that came to their home admired it. It had been in their family for many years. There was just one problem, however; it didn’t work! The mainspring had been broken for decades, and the old mantle clock had not kept time for over forty years. The source of its power was broken. Likewise, it is possible for churches to appear beautiful on the outside but to not really be working. While churches don’t have a mainspring, they do have a source of power. It is found in being together to collectively pray. That’s what described the early church, according to Acts 4:31. Sadly, many prayer meetings, which should be the highest attended service, are typically the least attended service. Is there power in your church? If so, probably it can be traced to faithful attendance and commitment to prayer.

For today: We need to be people of prayer. A church that prays is a powerful church.