Family Reunion: Heaven, Our Eternal Home

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/39nwyt

Many families have periodic reunions. Some occur during the holidays or during a time convenient to most members. Sometimes all are present. Oftentimes some are missing.

Reunions also occur for school classes, military units and other groups of people. In most cases a time of reunion brings happiness and fond memories.

God’s people throughout the ages will one day be gathered together to spend eternity with one another. What a great reunion that will be!

I’ve often heard people say, “I wouldn’t miss that for the world.” They might have been speaking of a ballgame, a graduation or some other event of interest. But I wonder how much would we think of heaven in that way.

Friend, are you ready to go to heaven right now? Chances are pretty good that most of you have some doubts about your eternal outcome. Some may be thinking about looking into it sometime in the future. But you don’t need to wait, friend. The time will be here before you expect it and then where will you go?

There are many reasons why people will miss heaven, although hardly anyone expects to go to hell. Here are just a few reasons why some will miss out on eternal bliss.

Some will miss heaven because they fail to obey God. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 that those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ will spend eternity in hell.

Some will miss heaven because they neglect the salvation that is offered. Notice what the writer of Hebrews says in 2:1-3.

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him?

Some will miss heaven because they are indifferent. They simply do not care to become involved and have no preference at this point. Jesus speaks of the Laodicia church in Revelation 3:15-16 as being lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. They were indifferent and they were repulsive to the Lord.

Some will miss heaven because of guilt and ongoing sins. Paul lists the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21. Sadly, some people engage in these and other sins and simply will not let go of them. They will stubbornly hang on to their short-lived sins and spend an eternity away from God.

Finally, some will miss heaven due to failure to do what should be done. In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus speaks of some who were given certain amounts of money based on their ability to handle the money. In this parable of the talents Jesus tells of one man who buried his money instead of using it for his master. That man was punished, not for having lost the money, but for failing to do what he should have done.

Yes, friends, many people will end up missing heaven for these and other reasons. And that should trouble each and every one of us.

But isn’t it a grand thought to think that you and I have control over where we spend eternity. Friend, there are some who think they are too bad for God to save, but God thinks otherwise! If you are still breathing, friend, there is still time. Make your plans to attend that grand reunion of all the saved of the earth. Obey that gospel of Jesus Christ, put Him on and let God wash your sins away with His blood.

In heaven there will be no regrets of sins that we failed to commit. But in hell everyone will regret not accepting the offer of salvation that is free and that is offered for all.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we not be able to rest our heads until we have assurance that we are right with God. May we vow to never live another day on earth gambling with our soul’s eternal destiny. May we seek and learn God’s will, obey the gospel and live on earth so as to live eternally with all the saved!

Our thought for the day: “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people, and they that enter shall find that they are neither unknown nor unexpected.” Bishop Ryal

May God bless you on your daily walk.

This will be my last broadcast of the Our Daily Walk devotionals here in Lewisburg, TN. I want to take a moment to thank the elders at Church Street Church of Christ for securing the radio time for this program. I want to thank our secretary, Talitha Liggett, for her great job of proofreading these manuscripts. I want to thank Justin Morton for doing these devotionals once a quarter and for his friendship and for his faith.

I also want to thank my wife, Carla, for her support and encouragement for my efforts and for sharing my vision of reaching out to more and more people. Finally, I want to thank you, the listeners and the readers of these devotionals. Your feedback, comments and encouragement have meant so much to me during these past few months.

Once again, thank you. May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Family Conference: Communication, Resolving Conflicts

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2ayuyl

For most families, a family conference is not always a pleasant experience. Sometimes a problem needs to be addressed, or a new routine needs to be introduced. But hearing the words, “We need to talk” or “We need to have a family conference,” is not always comforting.

Communication is essential to humans and to our relationships. However there are many barriers to effective communication. A current television ad shows two people talking on cellular phones when one of them is disconnected. When communications are dropped or hindered frustrations and problems soon appear.

Did you know that only about 7% of communication is done with words? That’s right. Only less than on tenth of what we communicate is done with what we say. 55% is communicated when we alter how we use those words, with the vocal tone or pitch. 38% is communicated non-verbally. Communication isn’t just about what is said, but how it is said and what is or isn’t done along with it.

Naturally within a family structure there are bound to be times when communications break down and when a conflict needs to be resolved. Those who grew up in families of multiple children no doubt are well acquainted with sibling struggles and frequent conflicts. In most cases parents are quick to jump in and put an end to the struggle and help resolve the conflict. When they do, the siblings cool down and return to how they should act. But if the parents never step in to help resolve the conflict then that pattern of turmoil may continue and grow for years.

The church is seen in the Bible as a family. Locally, many of our congregations are close and certainly have that “family” atmosphere. Others may seem less like a family if people seem unfriendly or distant. But in either case, they are a family.

Sometimes you may hear a mother or a father correct a child and tell them, “Now remember who you are and act like you know how to act.” Paul has some wonderful words of instruction, correction and encouragement in Romans 12:9-21. In this passage he encourages us to behave like a Christian.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Friends, there will always be some level of conflict and miscommunication in any family environment and the church is no exception. Let’s look to God’s word for His wisdom and follow those instructions for a happy, healthy spiritual life.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we learn to recognize what needs to be communicated and may we do our best to communicate our messages to others. May we live at peace with others as long and so far as it is under our control to do so.

Our thought for the day: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” Mark Twain

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Family Roles: Responsibilities Of Leaders And Members

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/3ccmmq

In marital counseling work, both before and after a marriage, I often speak to the couple about family roles. Who is the one responsible for taking out the trash? Who will be the one to make the beds, do the laundry, mow the lawn, or change the oil in the car? Most of these roles fall into our traditional expectations of husbands and wives. However, it is not uncommon to find a wife that loves to do the yard work or a husband that has a particular love for doing the cooking. But one thing is very important—we must understand and agree on family roles.

When husbands and wives disagree on family roles this creates disharmony and eventually strife. Usually this occurs when one or both spouses are not doing some task that the other spouse thinks should be done.

One example years ago was of a man who had expected his wife to pick up his dirty clothes where ever he dropped them. After all, his mother did that for him for 20 years. But his wife would have nothing of it and left his dirty clothes lying around until he finally ran out of clean clothes. She didn’t mind doing the laundry, but did not think it was her job to be a mother to her husband. That situation finally erupted. The couple did not properly communicate role responsibility and that led to problems.

The church is a spiritual family and like the natural family the church also has certain roles that need to be filled. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the head of this family, or body, and that many other roles need to be filled.

Paul outlines the qualifications of elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, and again of elders in Titus 1. These roles are very important to the success of the local congregations.

The elders are also referred to as rulers, overseers, bishops and shepherds. They have the responsibility to feed, protect and ultimately give an account for every sheep or member within the local body. Theirs is a very serious role and they must be on guard to not allow lesser issues to command their time and take away from their primary responsibilities. Luke 15 tells of the importance of just one sheep as the shepherd leaves 99 in search for the one missing sheep. Every church has a role to fill by godly shepherds.

The deacons have roles to fill as well. The concept can be illustrated in Acts 6:1-4 where a situation is given where some of the widows were being overlooked or neglected when it came to assistance. The apostles told those who brought the problem to choose seven men of certain qualifications from among their number. Then they would appoint these men to look after the problem with the widows. The apostles needed to give their attention to the ministry of the word and not to the daily physical problems. So they delegated. These men in Acts 6 may have not been deacons, but this passage illustrates the role that others play in helping the body as a whole.

Preachers also have a role to fill in the family of God. Paul expresses some of these duties in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Preachers are human just like the other members. But their tasks in the church are multiple. Notice these tasks from the reading above. Preach the word. That’s content. Be faithful in and out of season. That’s constancy. Convince, rebuke, exhort. That’s balance. Don’t compromise. That’s virtue. Be watchful. That’s being informed. Endure hardship. That’s perseverance. Do the work of an evangelist. That’s preaching and ministry. Finally, fulfill your ministry. That’s leaving nothing undone.

Many other roles also need to be filled in the family of God. Bible class teachers, encouragers, older men and women to teach and instruct younger men and women, people to pray, people to support with money, people to reach out to the neighbors and share the gospel. This list could go on and on.

The question today for you is this. “What role do you fill in the family of God?” If you aren’t sure what your role is then you’d better find out. God wants all of His family to be active in the body of Christ.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we seek to be encouragers today, to uplift someone’s spirit, carry someone’s burden and brighten someone’s day. May we seek to fill any role that we can so the glory of God can be seen through us.

Our thought for the day: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Paul, Colossians 3:23.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Family Values: Disciplines, Rules, Authority

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2s5yja

We hear a lot about family values these days. So much has changed in just a few years. It used to be that family values meant long marriages, children who behaved, a husband and wife in marriage and not two men or two women, and the list could go on and on.

Traditional families with a mom, a dad and several children are being overtaken by non-traditional families. Not many people blush or seem embarrassed about having children outside of marriage or of living around from one partner to the next without any commitment at all, let alone marriage.

Sadly, these generations to come will miss out on a great advantage that most of us enjoyed—learning family values from our families. Within the family is where most of us received our values training for life. We learned to respect authority, be polite to others, to know right from wrong and to stand up to take the blame when we had done wrong.

The abandonment of family values has meant a decline in the family unit in our culture today. Divorce continues to plague our nation. Discipline and self-control are slipping away. Respect for the rules and authority of our government as well as our religions has also diminished.

Without some form of discipline we would all have chaos and uncertainty. When many people hear the word “discipline” they may think of punishment or of rules. In fact, discipline is defined as a method to obtain obedience to a set of rules. It is also to train by instruction as well as to punish.

Now I’m fairly certain that most of us have dreamed of a device that would magically turn those traffic lights green for us, especially when we were running late. But can you imagine a world in which that discipline of following the safety rules of driving was suspended? Would you feel safe to drive where no one obeyed the stop signs, traffic lights or speed limits? I think we all appreciate the fact that these disciplines and rules are in place to prevent chaos and to provide safety.

That’s the way we should view God’s word and His will for us today in the church. But, sadly, some people wish to suspend God’s ways and simply do what they feel like doing. Friends, that isn’t the kind of family value that God taught you to follow.

Take Noah for example. In Genesis 6:22 we are told that he did all that was commanded of him to do. That’s a great testimony to that man. Can we say today that we are doing all that God and Jesus and the church expects of us?

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says the following.

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

Apparently some people thought that they could do a portion of work in the name of Jesus and still be found acceptable to Him. But as this passage indicates, it is a total submission to His will that is required. Not just a partial obedience.

Naaman learned a difficult lesson about following instruction in 2 Kings 5:1-14 when he was determined to do some great thing to gain his healing from leprosy. He wanted to pay for healing or do something difficult. Instead he was told to go to a muddy river and wash seven times. He became irate and refused to do what he was told. But then he finally humbled himself and obeyed the instructions from God and found his healing.

Of course, discipline and rules mean nothing without authority. And Matthew 28:18 tells us that all authority has been given to Jesus. Further, that authority was given to the apostles, then to elders.

Friends, without a system of right and wrong there can be no righteousness. God provides us with a system or discipline, the rules and authority with which we can know how to act and how to be acceptable to Him.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we determine to be daily students of God’s word and may we humbly submit to do His will each day. May we learn to respect authority in all aspects of our lives and may we continue to be a shining example of God’s family values in a world of confused values.

Our thought for the day: “Spiritual bankruptcy is inevitable when a man is no longer able to keep the interest paid on his moral obligations.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Family Portrait: The Structure Of The Church

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2ptfz5

Lining the walls of many homes are the family portraits. There you will find pictures of the siblings, grandparents, cousins. Multiple pictures of our own families from various years are also hanging there. Sometimes you might even find a picture of an extended family all together in one place.

From the outside looking in it may be very easy to see who belongs, who is the father, who is the son, who is the mother, etc. Likewise, the church has a family portrait of sorts as well. This picture is how God painted how the church was to be organized, how it is to function and how it is to behave.

Paul compares the church to a body. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 he says the following.

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.

Christ is the head of that body, the church. Paul tells us that in Ephesians 5:23-24 as he says, “For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”

To Timothy and Titus, Paul gives some detailed instructions on who would be qualified to lead in certain aspects of the church. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 lay out the qualifications of elders and deacons in the church. These elders are charged with various aspects of the working of the church including the spiritual oversight, spiritual nutrition and protection of the local body of believers. The deacons are charged with supporting the work of the elders in carrying out certain tasks.

But like in so many natural families, not everyone gets along in the church as they should. Sometimes there are disputes. Paul addresses some of these in 1 Corinthians 12:15-22 when he gives a somewhat comical view of how jealousies could arise. Imagine a foot being jealous of a hand, or a ear being jealous of an eye.

Notice this reading from Ephesians 4:11-16.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Did you catch that? We are all under Christ and we are all joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. The key to growth as a local body is also seen in that passage when Paul said, “according to the effective working by which every part does its share.”

Remember those family portraits on the wall? What would that family be like if dad never worked to provide for the family or if mom never fed the children? What kind of family would that be if the children refused to do their chores or were absent from the home for long stretches of time?

Healthy families work as a unit, love one another unconditionally, help one another constantly, are proud when one makes an accomplishment and are sympathetic when one endures a heartache. Healthy families are healthy because every part is doing what it is supposed to be doing.

God’s portrait of the church doesn’t show a perfect people. It shows a forgiven people still struggling to do what is right.

Friends we have a deep longing for fellowship and belonging. We need a family to love and protect us. We need a place to call our own. We need to be a part of God’s family!

On Our Daily Walk today, may we ask ourselves, “What part of the body of Christ am I?” May we determine to do all that we can do, be all that we can be and encourage all that we can encourage along our journey as a child of God.

Our thought for the day: “If we want better people to make a better world, then we will have to begin where people are made—in the family.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Family History: Heritage And Ancestry

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2xhfuu

Most people are very proud of their history. Towns and schools often erect signs or monuments to great achievements from the past. Trophies are proudly displayed and heroes are warmly remembered. Having a great heritage and history can be a tremendous advantage to a community.

But simply having a great past does not guarantee a successful future. Sometimes people can be caught reliving the past instead of living the present. Nostalgia certainly has its place, but one must not forget to pick up and do the things that need to be done in the present.

Most people today mistakenly assume that churches they see today have always been around and will be around for generations to come. But the fact is that most churches have relatively short life cycles. In a Bell Curve illustration the majority of churches can be seen with at least one growth cycle, a peak, an extended plateau and then a sudden or gradual decline. All of these events can take place in as little as 40 years or as long as 60-80 years.

The church at Ephesus is a good study in a life cycle of a church. In the first six verses of the book of Ephesians you will see that Paul praises this church and tells them that they are a chosen people, adopted by God. In chapter 2 Paul tells them that they were made alive, having been formerly dead in their sins. They had chosen to leave the lifestyle of the world and instead walk in the way of the Lord.

In verse 12 this is vividly illustrated as Paul says they were “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” But then he adds this section from verses 19-22.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

What a great heritage they had! They were building on the foundation of Christ Himself. But, sadly, they didn’t remain on that firm foundation.

In 2 Timothy 4:1-4 Paul gives a stern warning to Timothy concerning some who would depart from the faith. Timothy was working with these people in Ephesus.

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Paul also warned the elders of the church at Ephesus to be on guard. In Acts 20:27-30 he tells them to “take heed” because after his departure, “savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

And these things happened. In Revelation 2:1-5 Jesus tells the Ephesian church that they had many good works. But then He says, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”

Within a span of about 60 years or so, the church at Ephesus had experienced a great beginning, looked back on a tremendous heritage and had forgotten their first love. As Paul had predicted and warned Timothy and the elders, that church had fallen. Had they followed his warnings and instructions no doubt that church would have remained strong in number as well as strong in their faith.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we use the past to build us up and may we give glory to God for what others have done for good in the past. However, may we determine this very hour that it is up to us to help the church grow today. May we daily build our heritage, our history that leads new people to Christ.

Our thought for the day: “The reason history repeats itself is that most people weren’t listening the first time.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.