The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20).

What an incredible time of the year! We have the opportunity of celebrating our Lord’s incarnation. As a husband, I have often thought of Joseph in the Christmas story. I respect Joseph. He was a man of compassion. After believing the worst, he was still moved with compassion and was going to put Mary away quietly and privately rather than make her a public example. Then when the angel of the Lord assured him that he should go ahead and take Mary to be his wife, Joseph obeyed! Who would believe such a story? Many would be the accusations. More than just a few folks would whisper behind Joseph and Mary’s back. Yet Joseph quickly obeyed. What a great lesson for us! To obey the Lord and to follow His instructions are the greatest blessings and the greatest opportunities we will ever experience.

For today: I want to obey the Lord. How about you?

“She was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately” (Matthew 1:18-19).

It must have been the worst day of his life! Joseph loved his Mary. She had been promised to him and no doubt he looked forward with great anticipation to their marriage and life together as husband and wife. Perhaps many times Joseph dreamed of that wonderful day when he would hold Mary in his arms and they would become husband-and-wife. Now it was the worst day of his life. Mary was found with child. Joseph thought the worst! What would any fiancé think? There is a great lesson in this for us today. Sometimes we need to slow down and give God the opportunity and time to work in our situation and show us His plan. What can appear to be the very worst thing in the entire world sometimes is God’s appointment for His good and our blessing. It is very true that at times our greatest disappointment is actually God’s greatest appointment, if we give Him time to work it out.

For today: God has a plan. Don’t run ahead of Him. Don’t lag behind Him. Watch what God is going to do.

“The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith He hath girded Himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved” (Psalm 93:1).

Three college students were walking to the cafeteria for lunch. Two of the students were absolutely convinced of global warming and were nearly radical in their views. “Mankind is ruining this planet,” said Mary Anna. She was totally convinced that the world would soon be destroyed because of mankind. The other student was not nearly so radical but was still formulating his opinion. What a great opportunity Susan had to lovingly say, “This world belongs to the Lord. I really believe God’s Word the Bible. It says that the world is established that it cannot be moved until God is ready to change it.” It was a lively discussion over sandwiches and chips that day. Susan did not convince either of the students of her theological position. However, it gave her a great opportunity to talk about the Lord and how wonderfully clothed with majesty and strength our God is.

For today: Thank the Lord with me as we remember He’s got the whole world in His hands!

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:16).

No matter what he did, Tom could not please his ungodly employer. The work environment was so stressful. While Tom did appreciate the fact that he was still employed while others were let go, he came to the point where he dreaded having to go to work. Tom’s boss was rude, never appreciated him, belittled his faith, and made life generally miserable. One Sunday morning after church service, Tom spoke with his pastor and said, “I just don’t think I can take it anymore, Pastor.” With that the pastor stopped and put his hand on Tom’s shoulder. “Tom, I promise I will be praying for you. But you need to remember that believers have always suffered at the hands of those who hate our Savior. I suspect it’s not so much that he dislikes you, Tom, as it is that he really dislikes our Lord. As a believer, you do not have to be ashamed; you can actually glorify God in this hard time.” With that the two men walked to their cars. The next day Tom’s boss was still as unpleasant, but Tom had a whole new outlook. He had an attitude of gratitude toward the Lord and a special grace that came from the Lord Jesus. How about you? Is there an unbeliever who is making life miserable for you? Oh how that person needs the Lord!

For today: Let’s resolve to glorify God even in the hard times.

“But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4).

God is always on time. He seldom is early in our way of thinking. He never is late. His plan and His purpose are always carried out exactly on time. Maggie had driven bus for over twenty years. She was the recipient of many awards citing her on time accomplishments. Sitting behind the wheel of the huge passenger bus, Maggie’s route covered the territory from one state into another. Through the potential of lake effect snow, road construction, twists and turns through some hilly sections, Maggie was faithful and usually on time. One such day would be the exception. It would seem like every obstacle that could be thrown in her way, would happen that day. As she pulled into the terminal area, Maggie picked up the microphone and announced to her passengers that they were now arriving at the downtown Buffalo terminal. She said, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. It is with my apologies that we are arriving forty-five minutes late today. But for those of you who have been watching over my shoulder, you will know that between the weather and other drivers, they interfered with our on time arrival.” A lady seated right behind her leaned forward and said to her, “Honey, only the Lord is always on time.” Maggie thought about that reminder. She remembered reading in her devotions recently about in the fullness of time God sent forth his Son. She smiled and silently said, “Thank you, Lord, for being on time.”

For today: Thank the Lord that He will be on time today in all that He does.