The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“This is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:6).

The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is one of the beautiful names of our Lord in the Old Testament. This precious name in the Hebrew is Yahweh or Jehovah Tsidkenu which is pronounced tsid-KAY-nu. Though it may sound a little strange to us, this is a grand and beautiful name of our wonderful Lord. Recently a company advertised to do remodeling work. Their slogan is, “We do it right—the first time!” I do not know their reputation from any experience I have had with them but it is a great slogan. But far better than just a slogan, this is the statement that describes everything the Lord says, thinks, and does. He may not always work the way you wanted Him to, but He is always right. He is the Lord, Jehovah Tsidkenu.

For today: Worship Him often throughout your day and praise Him for His righteousness. That’s what I am going to do. How about you?

“And so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

This is the passage that describes the event known as the Rapture of the Church. It is the time that the dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air. This is too glorious to adequately describe. In Bible times, the father of the groom arranged the marriage of his son with the family of the bride. The engagement was the period of time in which the bride needed to be ready with very little notice. The father acknowledged that the time of the wedding had come; the son would go get the bride, and bring her back to his father’s house where they would be united in marriage. A great time of celebration would then follow. The verse we read today is the picture of the Lord Jesus coming for His bride, the Church. What a tremendous day for those who know the Lord.

For today: We must be watching and waiting for the Lord Jesus. Perhaps today will be the day we meet Him in the air!

span style=”color: #000000;”>“Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Many years ago a wealthy grandfather sent money to his family for the round trip ticket so that his grandson could come for a visit over summer vacation. The trip was long and tiring. After many hours of travel and changing trains, finally the train rolled into the station in the town in which Grandpa was to meet his grandson. Off the train the young boy flew as he searched for his beloved grandfather. Finally a man approached the frightened boy. He leaned down and said, “Young man, your grandfather sent me to pick you up. He is very busy and sent me in his place.” Later that night the young boy said to his grandfather, “If you love me as much as you say, why did you send someone else to get me. I wanted you, Grandpa.” How glorious it is to know that the Lord Jesus HIMSELF will come for us. No one else will do. It will be the Lord Himself.

For today: I agree with John. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains” (Psalm 36:6).

What an interesting statement about the Lord’s righteousness. David compares it with great mountains. I remember on one of the flights home from Israel, our captain told us we would soon be approaching the Alps. Window coverings all over the plane were immediately raised. The view of these famous mountains was breathtaking. When David associated God’s righteousness with mountains, he was reminding us of majesty and beauty, and when climbed, a new sight would come into view. God truly is righteous. He makes no mistakes. View His righteousness in its beauty and majesty. Learn all you can about the Lord. It will provide you the correct view.

For today: Rejoice in the wonderful truth that while I may not always understand what is happening, I can always trust Him. He is absolutely righteous.

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign…And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD…For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed” (2 Kings 21:1-3).

What a sad story. Hezekiah was a very good king who loved the Lord and did many commendable things. Sadly, good King Hezekiah had a very bad son named Manasseh who chose to reinstate the horrible idolatry that his dad had removed. It reminds me of the fact that it is a wonderful blessing when the next generation chooses to love and follow the Lord. But that is the key. They must personally choose to do so. What a great reminder for everyone working with children! Just because the parents are godly people does not guarantee that that child will automatically follow in the same ways. We need to earnestly pray and clearly teach our children.

For today: Do you faithfully pray for the children at your church in addition to your own?