The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).

How awesome is the Lord our God! The car crash was terrible, according to the police captain. “I am sorry, Mrs. Thompson, about your husband,” the veteran police officer said as he started to leave the surgical waiting area. Turning and looking back at Maggie Thompson and her family, the police officer said, “I’ve known Sam for a long time. I know he loves the Lord, and I am not sure why the Lord would allow such a terrible car crash to come into your family. I just pray that during this time of waiting that the Lord will be real to you and that He would help you in very special ways. My officers and I want to do anything we can to help you during this time,” and with that Bill Williamson tried to smile and left the surgical waiting room. Luke, who is Sam and Maggie’s youngest son, very quietly said, “God talks about knowing Him and how we must be still before Him in Psalm 46:10. I never dreamed that this would happen to Dad. It’s a strange thing as we wait during Dad’s surgery. I feel badly for the drunk driver who hit him. We have the Lord, and I just don’t know what we would do without Him.” It was a very long afternoon that presented the Thompson family with a great opportunity to “Be still and know that I am God” before the surgeon returned and said, “Things went very well. I expect he’s going to make a full recovery.” With that the family burst into tears of joy for their loved one and sorrow for the drunk driver. They thanked the Lord as they learned the very powerful lesson of being still and knowing that He is God.

For today: Don’t wait for the big crisis to put Psalm 46:10 into operation. Start practicing it with me today!

“So shall my Word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

What a powerful promise! As Pastor Harris stood before the congregation and preached the Word of God, he whispered a prayer to the Lord as the church family was looking up a reference in the Bible. Quickly and silently he prayed, “Lord, these are Your people, and this is Your Word. Please accomplish whatever You want to do just now,” and with that he continued the message. He never imagined what the Lord was going to do that day. Throughout the message that morning, the Lord really convicted one of the teenagers about his actions at home. Then there was Mrs. Perkins who sits three rows over on the left who was wonderfully reminded of what the Lord would do for her during her time of sorrow. On the other side of the aisle, Mr. Hankins was encouraged that God really could be trusted. Dr. Saddlemeir was reminded that God really cared about him and would help him in the very difficult surgery he would perform early the next morning. Those blessings and many more came because God promised that His Word would not return to Him empty. It would accomplish all that He purposed. Though very different situations, God used His Word yesterday in that service just like He did in the church service you attended. What did you get from God’s Word yesterday? Did you think to write your pastor a thank you note?

For today: I thank the Lord for the Scriptures. How about you?

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Marcy felt absolutely horrible. As she sat at her kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee on that Saturday morning, she thought back on the events of yesterday at work. There in the lunch room several of the employees had been gossiping about a manager in their department. Several slanderous statements were made while others laughed and agreed with the accusations. Marcy knew better. She wanted to speak up. She knew that the accusations were highly exaggerated and were designed only to hurt the manager. She also knew that she should say something. She is a Christian. Full well she knows that the Lord would not be pleased with her silence. As she finished her tuna fish sandwich she was determined to speak up. But just then one of the other employees said, “Well it’s time to get back to work,” and with that they were gone. Throughout the remainder of the afternoon she tried to catch up with several of the employees, but everyone was too busy to talk. Marcy remembered that verse in the book of James that reminds us that when we know what is right and we do not act upon that, it is sin. Marcy confessed that to the Lord and asked His forgiveness. She committed herself to setting things right and graciously confronting the rest of the coworkers on Monday at lunch. The same is true for us. When we know something is right and we do not do it, to us it is sin.

For today: We must remember that there are sins of action as well as sins of inaction!

“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19).

Peter is explaining to the early believers that hard times will be coming. He admonishes them not to be surprised when they suffer because they are Christians. This world hates our Savior. If they hate Him, they surely will hate us. Peter reminds them that not only should they expect some suffering; they can still have joy in the midst of that suffering. They were not to suffer as an evil doer. However, if they suffered because of being a Christian, they could commit themselves to the Lord, knowing that He has everything under control and will keep them as a faithful Creator. Hank was a good basketball player. In fact, many believed he was one of the best players on the entire team. However, he sat the bench for a good bit of every game. Do you want to know why? While it would be hard to prove it, some believed that it was because Hank had such a good testimony. His dad wrote an excuse to the coach explaining that he could not practice on Wednesday evenings because his church had youth groups. Dad explained to the coach how much he appreciated his coaching abilities, how excited he was for his son to learn under such a coach, and that he guaranteed that Hank would give it his all; he could not, however, practice on Wednesday evening. It was so hard for Hank to sit on the bench and not play like the rest of the team. But in his heart he was very happy knowing that he and his dad did the right thing for the Lord Jesus. How about you? What kind of price have you paid for being a Christian?

For today: If you suffer because you have done something wrong, there is no glory! But if you suffer because you are a Christian, there’s lots of glory!

“This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (1Timothy 3:1).

In this verse the term “bishop” is another name for pastor. It gives the idea of the pastor who is called by the Lord and who has a genuine sense of that calling. He is responsible for the oversight of the local church. Today is Friday, and most likely your pastor is working on the services because Sunday will be here before you know it! Pastor Mitchell sat at his desk. It was Friday, and he knew that Sunday was right around the corner. He was excited as he studied the texts that he would use Sunday morning and Sunday evening. He prayed. He studied. He prayed more. He checked several keywords in the text. He outlined the rough draft. He reworked that rough draft. He wrote the final manuscript. He went to the sanctuary and stood behind the pulpit to practice. He returned to his office and prayed much more. He went home that day excited about Sunday and the opportunity as well as the responsibility he had. As the pastor, he is called to preach the Word of God. What a great privilege Pastor Mitchell had because there were many committed believers in that church family who throughout the week, especially on Friday, prayed earnestly for him! When Sunday came, they listened. They took notes. They accepted the challenge. They even thanked him for his ministry!

For today: Be praying for your pastor. It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming! (By the way, your pastor does MUCH more than just writes messages!)