The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:8).

We do not know how old Jeremiah was when the Lord called him into the ministry. Apparently Jeremiah was not very old. In fact, one of the excuses Jeremiah offered to the Lord was his young age. The Lord explained to Jeremiah that his age was not going to keep him from serving. Jeremiah must’ve been terrified because the Lord told him, “Be not afraid of their faces.” The third year Bible college student arrived at the church very early that morning and waited in the parking lot. He was to preach his first sermon for the congregation that was without a pastor. The attractive church building sat nestled in the hills on that beautiful fall morning. The longer he waited, the more nervous he became. As the service began, the young man sat in the front row and asked the Lord again for help. Before he knew it, the deacon was introducing him as the guest speaker, and it was time to go to the platform. Suddenly the wonderful verse from Jeremiah 1:8 came to his mind. As he stepped to the pulpit he opened his Bible, looked up, remembered not to be afraid of their faces, and had a delightful time preaching in the same church that would later call him to become their pastor.

For today: What are you afraid of? Remember, our confidence is not in ourselves. It’s in the Lord!

“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

The book of Isaiah is a tremendous Old Testament writing. Many believers love turning to the book of Isaiah to read the many promises and to cherish once again the reassurance that God gives to His people. Even in the Old Testament period of time, God reached down in tremendous grace to reassure His people of His redemption and possession. To a believer, there are no sweeter words than redemption and possession. What wonderful blessings, joy, and reassurance to know that we belong to Him! As the special music was being beautifully presented, the bridal couple, Jack and Marianna, softly whispered to each other, “Now you belong to me!” The guests could see them whispering and smiled at the obvious joy and love that was being communicated, but only the Lord, the pastor, and each other heard those wonderful words, “Now you belong to me!” The bridal couple had many years ahead to rejoice in that wonderful truth. But a far greater possession was to be realized in the lives of that young couple. They not only belonged to each other; they belonged to the Lord.

For today: Rejoice if you are a Christian! You belong to the Lord!

“Forever, O LORD, Thy Word is settled in Heaven” (Psalm 119:89).

Heather was eager to get to the bookstore and purchase the books that she would need for this semester of college. These books were very expensive. She received an email from her professor welcoming each of the students to his class. He informed them that the required reading would come from a textbook that must be purchased for this class. The explanation was, “I know it would be easier and far less expensive to purchase used textbooks, but so much has changed since the last printing two years ago. The textbook of two years ago is now fairly obsolete in several of the disciplines. My apologies, but you will be required to purchase the new textbook.” As Heather purchased the new textbook and invested quite a sum of money in the purchase, the thought really struck her concerning the Lord. She whispered to the Lord, “Thank You that Your Word never becomes obsolete. Thank You that Your Word is forever settled in Heaven. Thank You that You do not change Your mind. Thank You that Your Word is up-to-date and will never be changed.”

For today: Thank the Lord with me for His settled Word! It will never be obsolete.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Many years ago when I was the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Marilla, New York, I headed home after a late night of counseling and studying. I decided to take a shortcut home through the church auditorium and out the door nearest to the parsonage. Rather than turn on any lights, I started down the center aisle, tapping the pews and counting them as I went by. I thought surely I knew how many rows of pews were located in that auditorium. Was I in for a surprise! There in the dark I thought I came to the last of the pews. Thus I made a sharp right turn only to discover that there was one more row of pews! Over the back of the pew, down onto the cushion and onto the floor I flew! For a few moments I was stunned, couldn’t catch my breath, and didn’t know what had happened to me. Suddenly I burst out laughing and said to the Lord, “I guess I should have either turned on the lights or double checked my counting, Lord!” You see, friends, if I had turned on the light I would have easily seen that row of pews in the church. Come to think of it, this is the exact same way in life. We may well think that we know exactly the right way to go. But God’s Word will function as a light that will direct our steps. We really need the Lord and the light of His Word.

For today: Have you spent time in the Word? Don’t stumble in the darkness. Read God’s Word!

“For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods” Psalm 96:4.

We use the word “great” very frequently. Be listening to how many times you will use this word over the next two or three days. Probably you will catch yourself smiling and remembering how often you are prone to use this word “great.” When the Bible says that the LORD is great, the Hebrew word for great is gadowl which has the idea of being huge in value, worth, and ability. Our great God is huge in everything that He does. Everything about Him is great! The proper response to the greatness of God is our praise. Isn’t it interesting that it is very easy for us to grumble? But sometimes it is hard to praise! I want to be a Christian who is much more apt to praise than to grumble. I will really need the Lord’s help to do this. How about you?

For today: Let’s ask the Lord to help us to praise Him instead of complaining. He is worthy of our praise!