The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“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!)

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

What a beautiful picture of the believer and his or her relationship with the Lord! God is our ultimate source for living, refreshment, productivity, and fruitfulness. Jeremiah describes a tree being planted by the constant source of water. Even on hot days that tree has all the water it needs. Thus its leaves stay green even during times of drought. That surely described Mabel. She battled through many physical afflictions, experienced the death of several dear loved ones, and was familiar with several heartbreaking situations. Once during her hospitalization, the social worker and the psychologist came to visit her because they believed she was living in denial. “No one can suffer the losses that you have suffered and still be able to smile,” said the young psychologist. “We want to help you to face the reality of your situation!” the social worker told her. With that Mabel softly wept, and looked up at them as she spoke. “You don’t have to tell me about the reality of what I have experienced. Many times I have cried and poured out my heart to the Lord. But what you do not understand is that the Lord is my River, and my roots are planted deeply in Him. That’s why in the hard times I can go on. Now let me explain how you too can have such a relationship with Him,” she continued.

For today: We believers do not live in denial of our problems; however, we do know the source of our strength and supply! Trust Him today.

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1).

Kim, Kendra, Kendall, and Kenny headed out the door for school. After hugs and kisses Mom called out to them, “Remember I love you and so does the Lord! You are part of His family and our family. Don’t forget your name. You not only are named Smith; you are a Christian. Guard your names!” With that the four children ran to meet their bus and were off to school. Later that day at lunch, one of the boys asked Kendall to help him cheat on his math test. He even offered Kendall money if he would simply slide his test paper around so that he could see Kendall’s answers. Kendall said to him, “Sorry, I can’t do that. I am part of the Smith family, and that would make them sad. But I am also a Christian, and that would make Jesus sad. The answer is no!” Some of the kids laughed at him at the cafeteria table, but it was something that Kendall remembered the rest of his life. He had a family name that had the reputation of honesty and integrity. But even greater than the Smith family name was the name “Christian.” Though he didn’t live a perfect life, he and his siblings tried to remember to guard their names, Smith and Christian.

For today: If your family has worked hard to give your name a good reputation, guard it well. Don’t destroy it by careless or sinful living.

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1).

The family was excited about going to visit their great grandfather. They all knew him as “Grandpa John.” It was Christmas vacation. Dad was off from work, and Hank, Kaitlyn, Susie, and Michael loved visiting Grandpa John. They loved to hear the stories of what it was like when he was a little boy. They enjoyed hearing the stories of his first car and how he served the Lord as a pastor in four different churches. His stories were funny and made them laugh. But always in his conversation, Grandpa John would say, “Oh but family, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever. With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. God has been faithful to me. He has met my every need and blessed me in ways that are hard to describe.” The smile on his face confirmed that he meant what he said. Though he could hardly see, and even though his hearing was gone, and even though he spent every day in a wheelchair, Grandpa John knew the mercies of his God and appreciated His faithfulness.

For today: Trust the Lord. He has tons of mercy and will be faithful to you.

“Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9).

Nehemiah is engaged in a tremendous ministry of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He is surrounded by enemies that are committed to causing the building project to fail. Not only did they try to lure him away from Jerusalem to assassinate him, now they are promoting a false rumor to assassinate his character. Nehemiah briefly addresses the rumor, sets the record straight, and now petitions his God for strength to get back to the work. We seem to be living in a day and age when everyone has protected rights except the Christian. Our culture and society are seriously beginning to squeeze in and make life much more difficult and challenging for Christians. You may be having a hard time at work, at school, or in your neighborhood. Don’t be surprised if somebody says something untrue about you. Nehemiah is a good example. He very briefly told the truth and then asked God to help him to be faithful to his work. What a great example for us!

For today: Let’s ask the Lord to help us to live so faithfully that no one will believe a false report about us. We have lots of work to do for the Lord!