The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

When I was the pastor of the Central Baptist Church of Binghamton, New York, a tremendous invitation came to me. I had the great opportunity to travel to the Republic of Mali with one of our church supported missionaries, John Jackson. I experienced overwhelming blessings as I ministered to the missionaries of Mali as well as worshipped with the dear believers in the Mali churches. For an entire week I preached in Timbuktu. I will never forget those incredible days. One of the highlights of my trip to Mali came at the conclusion of my time there. John and I, along with several other missionaries, were invited to the Embassy at Bamako to meet with the United States Ambassador. It was a tremendous privilege to meet the Ambassador and his gracious wife. As we left the quarters that day with a Marine escort, I thought of the great responsibility and privilege to serve as an ambassador of the United States of America. But far greater is the responsibility and privilege of being an ambassador for our Lord Jesus Christ. We represent the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! What an awesome privilege.

For today: If you know Him as Savior, you are His Ambassador. Represent Him in a worthy manner today.

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

I was thinking back over some of our family experiences. In one of the churches I served, the salary was not too great. I was an associate pastor, and the church had many expenses. They cared for me and our family as they were able. We scrimped and saved until the time came that we had enough money to purchase a swing set for our little boy. All of the family was excited as we came home from the store with a swing set in the box. As I recall, it was the last of the sale of this particular swing set. As we started to assemble the swing set, to our amazement there was a major part missing. Really? The last of the boxes, the last of the sale, and the prized possession of the swing set was missing a part! It reminds me that the Lord Jesus has paid a tremendous price to redeem me and forgive me of my sins. I am no longer my own. My whole purpose now is to glorify God as I trust Him to work in and through me. I don’t want to be like the disappointing swing set.

For today: Think of the price He paid and the glorious purpose we have! By the way, the store very graciously upgraded the swing set, and joy returned to our home!

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Two men arrived at a church service some years ago. One man sat on the right-hand side of the church about halfway back. The other man sat on the left-hand side of the church just a little closer to the front. That morning the pastor spoke about the cross and the power of the Lord enabling Him to forgive sins. The man who sat on the right-hand side of the church thought to himself, “This is the most foolish thing I have ever heard in my life. I can’t wait to get out of here!” On the other hand, the man who was seated on the left side of the church listened with complete attention. He had never heard the wonderful news that his sins could be forgiven. As the pastor preached about what the Lord Jesus did on that cross and how He took our sins upon His own body to pay the full sacrifice, he believed the message. Following the service he spoke with the pastor and asked the Lord Jesus to be his own Savior. The other man walked out of church before anyone could greet him. Isn’t it amazing? Two men came to church that day. Two men heard the message of the cross. One thought it was foolish. The other accepted the message and with great joy experienced the power of God through the forgiveness of sin.

For today: The cross is much more than a pretty piece of jewelry. For those who are saved it is the power of God!

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Romans 11:33).

Our God is rich! The Greek word in this verse translated “rich” is ploutos (PLU-tos). It means to have abundance, plenty, and fullness. Everything that describes our great God can be summarized by saying that He is absolutely rich in everything. In our verse for today, Paul speaks about our great God and describes Him as being rich in wisdom and knowledge. The Bible tells us that He is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4) and grace (Ephesians 1:7). The Father gives to His Son “power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12). I don’t know about you, dear friend, but the more I get to know this great God, the more I praise Him for my redemption. I am so glad that I belong to Him.

For today: I truly would rather have Jesus than anything!

“Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did” (Acts 9:36).

Throughout my ministry, I have always appreciated the ministries of the ladies of our churches. I strongly believe that men have been called to the ministries of pastors and deacons. However, I honestly do not know where we would be without the faithful ministries of ladies who love the Lord and are willing to serve Him. Dorcas was one such lady. She was noted for her good works and almsdeeds. This actually means she was full of acts of kindness and generosity with those less fortunate. I want to be known as this kind of Christian. The day will come when the Lord takes me home. But for now I want to have a testimony of kindness and generosity. Those things come by personal choices and consistent living right now. Do you want to join me in this?

For today: When folks hear our names, what will they think?