The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24).

The Lord Jesus concludes His sermon on the mount with a powerful truth presented in a powerful word picture. He concludes with the truth that people will either listen and do what He says, which would be as wise as building their house on a sure foundation or they will reject His teachings and be as foolish as building a house upon shifting sand. If you have ever driven on Interstate 80 southeast of Cleveland, you know what I am talking about. The Interstate begins to come into some rolling hills and cuts through solid rock. Overhead is a bridge that spans the interstate and rests upon the rocks. It provides the traveler with quite a view as well as a reminder of what is good foundation material. As the foundation is to the building, so is Christ to our lives.

For today: Have you thanked the Lord today for being such a stabilizer and blessing as the Rock?

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

On the phone with the pastor was the new convert named Michael. “Yes Michael, you have read the Scripture passage correctly. The Lord Jesus is going to return in the air for us, and we will be with Him forever,” Pastor Smith assured him. Michael was overwhelmed with excitement as for the first time he learned another truth that demonstrated the riches of his salvation. Christ would appear in a glorious way, taking us home to be with Him. We will indeed be with the Lord forever. “Michael, Colossians 3:4 is very exciting, but after we finish talking, I want you to find 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. We call this the Rapture. You go ahead and read it, and tonight before our Bible study, we will talk more about this wonderful truth,” and with that Pastor Smith concluded this very exciting phone call.

For today: Are you excited about Christ appearing in glory and we believers appearing with Him?

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).

Yesterday we read of the Lord Jesus teaching us to ask our Heavenly Father day by day for our daily bread. This teaches us that while we must be industrious and never idle, we must trust Him to meet our daily needs. Today the Lord reminds His people that we can call upon Him. He will answer, and in the process if we are watching, He will show us great and mighty things we have not even imagined. Sally was so disappointed that she was not invited to the party of the decade! Several of her friends in youth group were planning a get together, and it sounded like a great time. Somehow she was overlooked, and the disappointment was very strong. Mom encouraged her not to take matters into her own hands. “Take time to talk with the Lord about your disappointment. Then watch what He does,” Sally’s Mom lovingly said. Sally did just that. Even though her disappointment was deep, she committed to trusting the Lord’s answer. The day of the party came. What a disaster! One of the popular food items was bad, and everyone that ate them suffered food poisoning! It turned out to have been one of Sally’s favorite foods. “Can you imagine how much I would have eaten and how sick I would have been?” Sally confessed to her mom. “I never thought of this answer when I prayed.”

For today: It might not be as sudden and serious as food poisoning. However, as you pray, be on the watch for the great and mighty things God wants to show you. Sometimes they come very quietly, so be watching carefully!

“Give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3).

What a grand and glorious portion of the Word of God! We have broken into the middle of Christ’s teaching his disciples the pattern of what their prayers should be. Sometimes this is called the Lord’s Prayer. I see this more as the Disciples’ Prayer as Jesus teaches His followers how to pray. The Lord would never have to pray “forgive us our sins.” He is sinless. But his disciples surely aren’t. Back to our text for today, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” Here the Lord Jesus wants to grip believers’ hearts with the glorious truth that He can provide our needs. His resources are limitless. We come as little children, fully trusting our loving Father. This does not give license to be lazy. However, it does give us the promise that God knows our needs and will meet those needs as we trust, ask, and thank Him.

For today: Whatever your daily bread might be today, go ahead and ask. God has plenty. But He looks forward to hearing from you.

“O LORD God of Heaven, the great and awesome God” (Nehemiah 1:5).

God is in His Heaven, but all was not right in the world of Nehemiah. While serving as the King’s cupbearer in Shushan the palace in ancient Persia, modern Iran, word came to him of the bitter and broken conditions of the wall of Jerusalem. He immediately sat down and sought the Lord. What a blessed pattern for believers who face difficulties! Instead of charging ahead and trying to fix the situation on his own, Nehemiah prayed and sought the Lord. He knew Him to be the great and awesome God. What is your course of action when hard times come? Some people pout. Others complain. Still others take matters into their own hands and react without thinking, praying, or planning. When that happens, sometimes the outcome is worse than the original problem. Nehemiah prayed. So must we.

For today: Don’t run ahead of the Lord and try to help Him by fixing things on your own. Pray!