Family Time

Over the years my family has remained close. For years it was tradition that we gather at Mom and Dad’s house on Sunday evenings. Many times it was to celebrate a birthday or holiday, but more than that it was just important to stay connected with family. It was great watching all the nieces and nephews grow up, and all of the cousins play together. One of the greatest thrills was watching Mom and Dad’s faces light up on Sunday nights. Their house was relatively empty and quiet all week long, but you could see the joy they got from having all of their children together in their house. I pray that as my sons get married and have children they bring the same joy to their father.

God the Father also gets great joy over His children gathering together once a week in His house. When God created Adam He said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” From the earliest of times, God established a system of worship where people could come together to encourage and strengthen one another. In fact, the New Testament speaks of the power of the church gathering together as a great mystery and a force against evil.

Ecclesiastes 4 tells us that “two are better than one,” and “woe to him who is alone when he falls; for he has no one to help him up.” There are many scriptures throughout the Bible that speak of the power of God’s people coming together in unity. In the book of Acts the early church met daily in one another’s house to discuss God’s words and pray together. Hebrews 3:13 (NLT) says, “You must warn each other every day, while it is still today, so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.” My personal favorite is Hebrews 10:24–25 (NLT) “ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

My family is far from perfect, and so is God’s. Being a pastor, there were seasons early in my life that I got so busy on Sundays that I drifted from this Sunday evening family connection. For this reason, I often fight the regrets of a family disconnect even years later. You have to be blind to not see that the day of the Lord is fast approaching. As darkness is escalating all around us, the importance of gathering together at our Father’s house for an impartation of light becomes increasingly more important. We all need Sabbath times in the presence of God and His family. Be sure that you don’t get sucked into the busyness of life and miss out on the strength that God has provided for you through His family. If you get disconnected, you too will regret it for years to come.