The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
(Thanks to Tom and Julie, Jeff and Sarah, and Bill for inspiration on this one).
"Gatherings In Time, Known From Everlasting"
I often give thanks at the beginning of services that the gathering we experience in time and space has been joyfully known and anticipated from everlasting in the heart of God.
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments, as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life forevermore" (Psalm 133).
God loves to see His trusting sons and daughters in Christ together, united in praise, thanksgiving, devotion, and seeking Him in His Word, as led by the Holy Spirit. No Christian gathering is perfect in this life, of course, and we may not always follow the lead of the Spirit and the Scriptures. However, sincere determination to bless the heart of our Heavenly Father by obeying Him in assembling together for His glory doubtless pleases Him far more than we can possibly know.
Of course, this truth applies not merely to church services. God loves the fellowship and blessing believers experience in times of personal contact. He has ordained that the abundant supply of Christ that meets our every need is often administered to us through fellow Christians. We so often know Him through each other as the indwelling Spirit of the Lord Jesus shines upon us, within us, and from us. "Ye shine as lights in the world" declared the Apostle Paul to the Philippians believers and to all who seek to glorify the Savior in heart and life. We also shine as lights to one another (Philippians 2:15).
We also do well to ponder not only what fellowship with other believers means to us. Let us even more consider God's sensibilities about His family, "the whole family in Heaven and earth" (Ephesians 3:15). Consider. Our Heavenly Father gave His eternally beloved Son to an earthly lifetime of continual challenge and a terrible death of suffering not only at the hands of man, but "by His determinate counsel and foreknowledge" (Acts 2:23). He saw His Son as sin on the cross of Calvary in order to see us as "dear children" (II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 5:1). How much does family mean to God? How much do our gatherings as His family elicit joy in His heart? Look to Calvary, where God's Son brought "many sons unto glory," and a family redeemed by the sacrifice of blood, conceived by the moving of of the Holy Spirit, and inhabited by the living and vital presence of Himself (Hebrews 2:10).
We do well to think about this when the blessing of fellowship with one another graces our hearts and lives. Be it a gathering of two or of many, our Father has forever known and rejoiced that such moments would occur, and most importantly, that He would join us on the occasions that mean more to Him than they do to us. Such realization will enhance our appreciation and experience of the gift we are to one another, and the wonder so sublimely expressed by the Psalmist… "the Lord taketh pleasure in His people" (Psalm 149:4).
"Gather my saints together unto Me."
(Psalm 50:5)
Weekly Memory Verse
He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.
(Deuteronomy 32:4)
7317
No comments:
Post a Comment