The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“As the hart pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1).

“It is incredible. Only the Lord could have accomplished this,” Julie said to her friend Elizabeth. “You invited me to come to church with you on Thursday. On Friday and Saturday I felt so discouraged that when this morning came, I almost phoned you to tell you I was not coming. I am so glad that I didn’t do that. It was great being in church with you today. How timely of Pastor Kenward to speak about how to overcome discouragement. I am so glad you invited me,” Julie said. That morning the pastor had shared three things to do from Psalm 42. He said the following in his message. First, stop looking at yourself and start looking at God (42:1-4). Second, stop looking at the past and start looking toward the future (42:5-8). Third, stop looking for reasons and start looking at the promises (42:9-11). It was just what Julie needed, and perhaps it will be just what you need today as well. When you have a few moments, read Psalm 42 and see how precious and powerful God’s Word will be for you.

For today: I need to be looking toward God more and looking at myself less.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness” (Psalm 48:1).

The large bus filled with tourists approached the city of Jerusalem. Slowly winding upward through the city streets, the guide stood, took the onboard microphone and proudly proclaimed with his beautiful Israeli accent, “Friends, may I welcome you to the city of our great and glorious God! We now have arrived at the mountain of His holiness!” The entire busload of tourists could contain their joy no longer and simultaneously broke out in cheering and applause. The dream of their lifetime was now fulfilled. They had arrived in the city of their great God! It was a great day for them! However, let me assure you that you do not have to travel to Israel to experience this joy. The greatest thing about Jerusalem is knowing in a personal way, the One Who owns the city. It is our great God! You can have the joy of coming to our great God today and praising Him for His great holiness. Have you done this today?

For today: Be sure that you invest time with our great God and share with Him your praises.

“As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him” (Psalm 18:30).

The word “buckler” may not be a familiar word to you. It is actually a very beautiful word which gives the idea of a soldier holding a shield that will protect his heart and other vital organs. In a precious way, King David speaks of the Lord being his own personal shield and the protector of his life. This precious truth became very clear one night to Luke who was a highway patrolman on a very busy interstate. He pulled a car over for speeding and fortunately radioed in his location. As he was approaching the car, the driver suddenly jumped out and fired his weapon once, hitting Luke in his chest. The criminal driver jumped back in his car and sped away. Luke fell backwards but was saved because he was wearing his bulletproof vest. Though bruised, he survived because the vest was his shield. Later in the emergency room, his commanding officer checked in on him just to be sure that he was all right and to let him know that the shooter was apprehended about fifteen minutes after the incident. Luke was able to turn the conversation around to his thankfulness not only for his bulletproof vest but that the Lord was his “buckler” and how his commander could know the Lord as well. It was an intense illustration.

For today: Your circumstances may not be as dramatic as Luke’s, but you can rejoice today that the Lord is your shield!

“Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puts the bottle to him, and makes him drunken also” (Habakkuk 2:15).

As a young pastor just entering the ministry, I had to come to the personal conviction as to who I would perform the marriage ceremony for and who I would not. I had the privilege of being the minister of a very beautiful church that was highly desirable for weddings. One of the things that became a very settled conviction to me was the area of alcohol. My wife and I witnessed firsthand the way alcohol ruined marriages, destroyed homes and families, hurt children, and caused people to do things they never would do when sober. As a police chaplain and a pastor, I have been an eyewitness to the devastation that alcohol brings. So, to be honest with you, early in my ministry I came to hate alcohol and the potential problems that it brings into homes and families. I came to the conviction that I would not marry anyone who is going to have alcohol at their wedding. I told pulpit committees and congregations that were considering me as a pastoral candidate of my conviction. I can tell you that I have never had anyone angry with me over a funeral, but I have had several families furious with me over weddings! I don’t know where you stand on the subject of alcohol. Personally, I hate alcohol. I hate the potential effects of alcohol that will come into a person’s life and home. I think it is better to hate it and view anyone serving it to another as a woeful situation.

For today: May you and I have the grace and wisdom to avoid anything that will be potentially harmful to ourselves or another.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me” (John 14:23-24).

Lanielle was becoming more and more defiant as a teenager. To be very honest, she was making life generally miserable in her home. Simple little requests were made very big issues by Lanielle. She rebelled against nearly everything. Knowing what the family was going through, Aunt Linda invited her beloved Lanielle out to lunch on a Saturday afternoon. To everyone’s amazement, Lanielle accepted the invitation. The Holy Spirit was really working that day at the restaurant. After a great and lengthy conversation, Aunt Linda simply said, “Honey, you claim to be a Christian. That’s great! But the Lord Jesus clearly taught us that if we love Him, we will keep His words. If we don’t keep His words, it is a clear indication that we don’t love Him at all. By your actions you are making a very loud statement about your love for Christ. I am telling you these things because I love you.” Lanielle did not change overnight. In fact, a few months after this she came to put her trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation. The conversation with her aunt that day was the changing point in her life. Though many folks claim to know the Lord Jesus, the proof will be in the way they live. If they really know Him, they will keep His words. If they don’t keep His words, there is a big question mark over the genuineness of their claims to be a Christian.

For today: May the proof of my love for Christ be demonstrated in the way that I obey him!