If I get this excited to see my little grandson, just imagine how excited God gets when His children come home after living apart from Christ? Imagine too how much joy Jesus has when His children awake in the morning and begin their day. He has an opportunity to communicate with us each day and to bestow His wonderful blessings upon us.

Better still, picture God in heaven as He welcomes each person into their eternal home after their journey on earth. As Christians, we should long for our Lord to say to us what the master spoke to his servants in Matthew 25:23 (NKJV):

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”

We are not to hold tightly to our salvation and keep it hidden as a secret treasure. God has given us the blood of His Son Jesus, that washes us and cleanses us from all sins and He has provided the Holy Spirit to reside within us to enable us to stay connected to the Father. These gifts are to be shared with others so that they can also experience the joy of salvation and enter in to eternity with Christ.

Bless her heart, my mom is in her mid-80s and she is still going strong. I am so grateful to still have both of my parents with me. I hope you took the time on Mother’s Day to love your mother and to let her know how much you appreciate her. I also hope you do not wait until this holiday, which only comes around once a year, to tell your mother how much you love her. Regardless of your relationship with your mother, as Christians, we must forgive past hurts and disappointments and extend forth forgiveness. We are commanded to love our parents in spite of their shortcomings.

If your mom has already gone home to be with the Lord you can still love, honor and cherish her memory by loving and serving the Lord. We see a beautiful portrait of a wife of noble character, found in Proverbs 31:27-29 (Amplified):

“She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat. Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying], Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.”

Whether you are married, single, widowed or divorced, as God’s precious daughters, we can strive to achieve the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman. Endeavoring to keep up with our outward appearance and caring for our physical bodies is great. However, there is nothing more beautiful than a woman who loves the Lord with all her heart, mind, body and soul.

You may not realize this, but for those of us who are on Christian radio, when we speak to our listening audience, we are actually talking to our friends. We’re really sharing with people whom we pray for and people we get to know through e-mails and telephone calls. We share a part of our lives with you because we care about you and we love you in the name of Jesus. We often bring your concerns before the Father in prayer.

Our prayer at this time of the year is that you will be filled with peace and be surrounded by the love of Christ. If you are alone at this time of the year, I want you to realize that you are really never alone. Jesus is with you regardless if you have numerous family and friends with you or if you are completely by yourself.

The Apostle Paul encouraged fellow Christians by telling them how much he often prayed for them. My prayer today for my radio family is Philippians 1:3-5:

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

I pray with joy for your partnership with me and Rivers of the World (ROW) by your prayers, through the financial blessings you bestow upon the ministry and for your faithful friendship. Is there a friend in your life whom you haven’t spoken to in awhile? Why don’t you consider taking a few moments today to contact that person. At the very least, remember your friend in prayer.

Mickie cannot come to me anymore but I will one day be reunited with her and what an amazing party we are going to have! The holidays can be a challenging time filled with overwhelming emotions when we have recently lost a loved one. I want to encourage you to spend more time reading the Bible and reflecting upon His promises. Cling tightly to them and allow His words to comfort you, encourage you, strengthen you and to give you a hope to carry on.

One of His wonderful promises is found in Revelation 21:4:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The pain and sorrow we feel during our lifetime may feel like an eternity, but rest assured, it is only a small moment in time when compared to the life we will have forevermore with Christ.

Do you take the time to write thank you notes? I can tell you that the easiest way to my heart is having a young person take the time to hand write me a thank you note for some act of kindness I may have done or for some inspiring word they heard from me. It takes a lot of effort to write a thank you note, address the envelope, place a stamp on the envelope and actually drop it in the mail. For me to receive a personal note in the mail from a young person instead of getting an e-mail is very touching.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading all the e-mails we receive. However, I keep all of the hand written notes that come my way. These cards represent people who cared enough about me to spend a few extra moments and the cost of a stamp to let me know that they were thinking about me.

Is there someone in your life who is celebrating a birthday today? Instead of locating an e-card on the Internet, why don’t put forth a little more effort and buy an appropriate card to let that person know how much they are treasured. Has someone recently been especially kind to you lately? It wouldn’t take much thought or effort to send that person an e-mail, so instead, find a nice thank you card and bless that person today.

Have you ever thought about the fact that each day we add a chapter to the story of our life? What attributes are written in your book? Solomon reminds us of two important character traits that should be evident in the life of each Christian. Read Proverbs 3:3:

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Sending flowers to your spouse for no particular reason, mailing a thank you card to a dear friend or calling your parents on a day other than a holiday, are all expressions of our love. The more we draw closer to Christ and desire to imitate Him, the more our hearts will overflow with love and faithfulness to others.

Her children, on the other hand, have continued to grow through the years. Recently, 3 had the wonderful experience of taking both of her little girls to their first day in high school. This milestone in life made 3 stop and pause and realize even if her age seems to never change, life all around her is changing. This experience gave 3 a chance to recommit her life to serving the Lord, knowing that life is transient and she must make the most of it.

May your prayer today be Psalm 39:4 (Amplified):

“Lord, make me to know my end and [to appreciate] the measure of my days–what it is; let me know and realize how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].”

What changes have taken place in your life over the last year or two? Have you experienced the death of a loved one, the departure of your last child as they began college, the foreclosure of your home or the end of your career? Time marches on so seek today to fulfill that plan and purpose God has for your life. In the end, each of us is given a measure of time to influence lives for Christ. When compared to eternity, our lives are truly fleeting.

The moving was an interesting experience. How many of you have traveled down this road with your parents? We sorted through piles and piles of memories in scrapbooks, articles and pictures. We sat there and recalled the good old times and we talked about the new times to come for my parents in their new home environment.

This is really a fascinating transition that many of us will experience firsthand. At the very least, we will walk through this time with our parents. Only the Lord knows how and where our latter days will be spent. It is so important to take the time and make the effort to love and support your parents if an assisted living facility is the path that they must take. Whether the transition at this stage in their life is good, bad, difficult or easy, it is a mission field and an opportunity for you to demonstrate the love of Christ to your parents.

We are guaranteed to journey through many seasons in our life and we all must experience death in the end, should the Lord tarry. The only certainty in this life is the character of God. It states in Hebrews 13:8:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Regardless of what stage in life you are in, take time today to thank the Lord for His unchanging love.

You can either continue to collect these stones from year to year, building up more and more unforgiveness and resentment, or you can choose to lay all your stones down and use them to build a path of peace and unity between you and your father. Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” I think Jesus would take those stones and He would arrange them in a beautiful way so that your family and mine could find their way home to peace, to love and to reconciliation.

Many of us have read Matthew 6:14-15, but this time read it and really understand what these verses are saying:

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

With God, there is no compromise or ambiguity when it comes to forgiveness. The condition to us receiving the forgiveness of Christ is for us to forgive others. We forfeit Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins when we choose to harbor unforgiveness toward others. This Father’s Day, choose to forgive your dad, whether he is still living or not. Take that first step of reconciliation with your father and you in turn will receive sweet forgiveness from your heavenly Father.

The conversations might go something like this, “Hey, Mom, it’s good to talk to you today. My name is Ben Mathes and I am the founder of Rivers of the World (ROW). I just want you to know that I had lunch with your son in Baghdad. He’s doing great. Dad, I saw your niece in the Diyala province and let me tell you, that young lady works so hard. Yeah, and I saw your nephew and I just want to assure you that he is doing fine also.”

Spending time with America’s finest showed me once again just how amazing these young folks are in some extreme circumstances. Their routine doesn’t vary much from day to day and you could even go so far as to say it is monotonous. They get up every morning, put on their boots, strap on their gear, grab their weapons and head out to their post. They climb in a Humvee or duck their heads to get in a Stryker, which is an armored combat vehicle. After a day of patrolling and maneuvers, they inspect and clean gear and equipment, eat, shower, sleep and get up the next day and do it all over again.

If these military members could pass on a message to their fellow Americans back home, they would say they are proud to serve their country, they are strong physically and emotionally and they are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people in Iraq. I can also tell you that many of them are coming to faith in Jesus. On behalf of these men and women, I would ask that you continue to keep them in your prayers.

Parents have a wonderful assurance for their protection and for the protection of their children and this can be found in Proverbs 14:26:

“He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.”

Build a strong foundation in the Lord and live out your faith daily in front of your children and you can be certain that when they are out of your reach, they are never out of the reach of Christ. Find peace today in the fact that when times get tough, your children will have a secure fortress to protect them.

We are very blessed to have you in our lives. God worked overtime when He created mothers and I simply cannot say enough, except, Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, Nanny! Happy Mother’s Day, too, to all the special women who are a part of Rivers of the World (ROW) through generous financial gifts, daily prayer or sacrifices of time and talents.

If your mom is no longer with you, take time today to honor that special woman in your life who has loved you like a mother. No matter what kind of mother you had growing up, you must love your mother because it is an actual commandment of God.

Refresh your memory today by reading Ephesians 6:1-3 (Amplified):

“CHILDREN, OBEY your parents in the Lord [as His representatives], for this is just and right. Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother—this is the first commandment with a promise—That all may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.”

If we fulfill God’s commandment of loving our parents by honoring and respecting them then we are promised that all will go well with us and we will receive a long life. Despite what may have occurred in the past or even what is occurring presently with your mother, I encourage you to find a way to wish her a sincere Happy Mother’s Day. In so doing, you will bring honor and glory to Christ.

Many of us who serve in strange places overseas often carry things in our backpacks that remind us of home. In my backpack is a small Ziploc baggie that contains an American flag that was folded by a U.S. Marine in Iraq who presented it to me. The flag is very small. I also have a wooden cross that was created for me by a young boy in North Carolina. Also in my backpack is a piece of cloth that has the Big Dipper sewed into the cloth, created by 3, Rivers of the World’s (ROW) executive administrator.

This may seem a bit strange, but I also carry some hair and fur from family, friends and creatures that I love. Sometimes I even cut a twig of South Georgia pine so I can smell Dixie while I’m lying in the sand in a foreign land far from home. Is there something that you carry with you each day that reminds you of home and the people whom you love?

If you don’t have a particular item that you carry, may I suggest you consider carrying a small Bible. In Hebrews 4:12 (Amplified) we learn:

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”

Having a Bible on hand at all times will enable you to stay on the straight and narrow path. It will also remind you of the tremendous sacrifice that Christ made on your behalf, paving the way for you to spend an eternity with Him in heaven.

I don’t know what your family gatherings are like but with my family, we always have to first figure out where to go and eat. Then, it’s inevitable that everybody is going to talk at the same time. No doubt there is also always somebody who brings up that event where you know who did you know what and you know what the circumstances where because of it. All of us turn red with embarrassment, we laugh or we simply try to act as if we really didn’t hear that story again. I just love being with family!

It is so much fun to get together for birthdays and other celebrations with the folks whom we love. Unfortunately, some of us tend to forget that there are responsibilities that we each have within our own families. Scripture is very clear that we are to take care of the needs of our family members. Read 1 Timothy 5:8:

“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

This verse is not only implying financial needs, but also emotional, spiritual and any other needs. If there is a single parent within our immediate family, we are to assist with caring for the children. Is there a widow within your family? God has a special place in His heart for widows and orphans and so should we. If you have a cousin who doesn’t attend church then why don’t you invite him to your church or at the very least, live the Bible clearly and concisely so that he sees the very heart of Jesus.