The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mark 5:19).

The demon-possessed man of Gadara was in a deplorable situation. Hopelessly lost, dreadfully wicked, and incredibly vile, people everywhere knew of him. Day and night he cried in the tombs, injured himself with stones, and could not be controlled even with chains. Then everything changed when the Lord Jesus came to Gadara. Mark describes his new condition in verse 15 as being, “Sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.” What a change the Lord made in his life! Now he would know the joy of going home to his family and friends and telling them of the life-changing power of the Lord Jesus Christ. What about you, dear friend? Though you might not have experienced the characteristics of the man of Gadara, you and I both were hopelessly lost until we asked the Lord Jesus to be our Savior. Who today will you tell about the wonderful things the Lord Jesus has done for you?

For today: Think of the great things the Lord Jesus has done. Don’t keep them a secret!

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).

I have enjoyed collecting old books over the years. One of the sets I obtained years ago details the engineering of the Ford Model T cars. It is fun to look at, even though I have no clue about those engineering terms. But guess what? As interesting as the material is, it is profoundly outdated. Ford engineers would smile if they were to build cars today based on the information in my collection. The Word of God is so very different. It is not the product of man. It is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Go ahead! Open your Bible and read it. Though it was written thousands of years ago, it is reliable and up-to-date. You can trust it, and you will be wise to obey it.

For today: Have you read your Bible today? The Author Himself wants to talk with you!

“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The boys and girls in Mrs. MacCormack’s class sang with exuberance. One of the all-time favorites of the boys and girls was “Jesus Loves Me.” She loved her clubbers and counted it such a blessing to be able to teach them about the Lord Jesus. She will never forget the afternoon the new boy, Willie, arrived in her club. He was disheveled, clothes dirty, and looking lost as he sat listening to the rest of the club singing this precious song. He sat spellbound during the teaching time and at the end of the club he approached her with a question. “Is it true, Mrs. Mac? Is it true?” he stuttered. “Nobody has ever told me they love me. Does Jesus really love me?” he asked with an almost haunting question in his voice. “No one has ever told this boy they loved him!” thought Connie MacCormack. What a precious time she had explaining the wonderful, matchless love of the Lord to him! You may frequently hear the words, “I love you.” I hope that you will never take them for granted. Remember today how much the Lord Jesus loves you and how He gave Himself for you.”

For today: There’s no sweeter truth than that the Son of God loves you and gave Himself for you.

“This is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:6).

The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is one of the beautiful names of our Lord in the Old Testament. This precious name in the Hebrew is Yahweh or Jehovah Tsidkenu which is pronounced tsid-KAY-nu. Though it may sound a little strange to us, this is a grand and beautiful name of our wonderful Lord. Recently a company advertised to do remodeling work. Their slogan is, “We do it right—the first time!” I do not know their reputation from any experience I have had with them but it is a great slogan. But far better than just a slogan, this is the statement that describes everything the Lord says, thinks, and does. He may not always work the way you wanted Him to, but He is always right. He is the Lord, Jehovah Tsidkenu.

For today: Worship Him often throughout your day and praise Him for His righteousness. That’s what I am going to do. How about you?

“And so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

This is the passage that describes the event known as the Rapture of the Church. It is the time that the dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air. This is too glorious to adequately describe. In Bible times, the father of the groom arranged the marriage of his son with the family of the bride. The engagement was the period of time in which the bride needed to be ready with very little notice. The father acknowledged that the time of the wedding had come; the son would go get the bride, and bring her back to his father’s house where they would be united in marriage. A great time of celebration would then follow. The verse we read today is the picture of the Lord Jesus coming for His bride, the Church. What a tremendous day for those who know the Lord.

For today: We must be watching and waiting for the Lord Jesus. Perhaps today will be the day we meet Him in the air!