The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

“Hank, your son not only looks like you, but he even has your mannerisms,” Hank’s dad told him. “I love to watch that grandson of mine. He is an absolute joy and a delight to this old man,” Henry Senior shared with his son. What a pleasant conversation the two men had that afternoon sitting on the patio enjoying a glass of cold iced tea! “Dad, I just can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you and mom have moved down here to be with us. I know it was a difficult decision for you and mom, but we really love having you. Almost every night Sammy thanks the Lord Jesus for his grandpa and grandma who moved to Florida to be with us. Often, Dad, I silently pray right along with him and thank the Lord for you and mom. You are not the first one to mention that Sammy looks like me and even acts like me. It’s a reminder to me, Dad that I not only have learned well from you but I also need to be more like my Heavenly Father. As my boy looks like me and acts like me, I need to be acting more like my Heavenly Father!” That’s just exactly what Peter meant by encouraging us to be holy as God is holy. That does not mean that we will become divine; it does mean that we can learn from Him and obey Him.

For today: I want to be more like my Heavenly Father in the way I live. How about you?

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Recently they visited our home. I am talking about several of my grandchildren. What fun I had with my young grandson and granddaughter! Eager to help me feed the birds in our backyard, they pulled on their boots and headed out the door with me. A few inches of snow freshly blanketed our backyard. After taking turns putting the birdseed into the feeder, I said to them, “Let’s play a game. Follow me!” I then took very small steps, and they had to follow my footsteps. I then started taking slightly larger steps, and they still had to manage keeping up with me. Then my steps became farther apart, and it became more challenging and more fun for them to try and step in Grandpa’s footprints. We twisted back and forth across the yard and did silly circles around the tree, much to their delight. While it certainly was not a game to the apostle Paul, he determined to live in such a way that without boasting, bragging, or being arrogant, he encouraged the Corinthian believers to follow his example. When we come to think of it, the way we live in this world should provide godly footprints for others to be following!

For today: Be careful how you live. Others will follow your example!

“Unto Thee, oh Lord, do I lift up my soul. Oh my God, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on Thee be ashamed” (Psalm 25:1-3).

Kathy had really been making it a matter of prayer. Two of the ladies at work with whom she had been eating lunch were growing bolder in their vulgarities. The inappropriateness of their jokes grew stronger as time wore on. On previous occasions Kathy shared with them that she did not find that kind of sense of humor to be appropriate in the workplace nor anywhere else as far as that goes. She was becoming the brunt of their jokes, and things were even beginning to grow hostile. In her prayers she pled with the Lord to give her a real open door. She asked the Lord to really help her to be a great witness and not to have to take the situation to management. Then the day came. One of the other coworkers experienced a distressing phone call from home. Her mother had been taken to the emergency room. Over the next several days Kathy had the opportunity to really minister to this coworker and share with her in this emergency. It was amazing. What a change took place because Kathy was not ashamed of the Lord, nor was she embarrassed to be one of His servants! The entire atmosphere in the lunch room changed because of Kathy’s willingness to wait on the Lord, to trust in Him, and not be ashamed. Certainly going to management may be the only way to resolve some of our problems. On the other hand there are dozens of opportunities for us to be gracious and yet bold for the Lord.

For today: Let’s ask the Lord to help us to be gracious and yet to take a good stand for Him. We must never be ashamed of the gospel.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

This past week has been a wonderful week of celebration. Believers all around the world remembered our Lord’s incarnation. In the midst of much celebration, I hope that you, my friends, had a real personal time of worship and adoration of our blessed Savior. It took a miracle for the Lord Jesus to become flesh. From eternity past God the Son co-existed with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. And then the day came when the precious Son of God took upon Himself a complete human nature and became a man. He dwelt among us and His glory was beheld. What a wonderful balance the Lord Jesus consistently demonstrated as He was full of grace and full of truth! Sometimes we get that out of balance. In our graciousness we are afraid to tell people the truth. Sometimes we have been brutally truthful and not extended grace. What a wonderful model and pattern that you and I can follow for this next year! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every day we remembered to ask the Lord to help us to be full of grace and full of truth? I want to thank you so very much for subscribing to my daily prescriptions. I hope they are a blessing to you, and if so, please consider encouraging someone else to subscribe.

For today: Being full of grace and truth is not only wonderful for our Savior; it is for us as well!

“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshiped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Luke 2:11).

There seems to be a strong correlation between worship and giving. When genuine worship takes place, generosity and giving naturally follow. We may not be rich as apparently the visiting magi were. However when we really worship the Lord, we will desire to give of ourselves, our time, our talents, and our treasures. Isn’t it interesting that the shepherds found the baby in the manger? However the wise men find the young child in the house. Don’t you wonder how much time took place? I know that nativity sets have the wise men arriving at the manger. While of course this is not true, the important thing to remember is that they did arrive indeed. They fell down. They worshiped. They opened their treasures and they presented. Those folks really worshiped! The Son of God is worthy of our adoration and reverence. He is worthy of our worship and our generous giving. Our family has enjoyed the tradition of giving a “birthday gift to Jesus” every year. We prayerfully select a missionary or a ministry, and we give the largest gift to that one in honor of the Lord’s incarnation. While the actual day of Christmas has come and gone for another year, it’s not too late for you to give a special gift in honor of the Lord’s birth. It seems like a fitting thing to do since we are celebrating His birth!

For today: May we truly worship the Lord and be generous serving Him.