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Listen while you read: "Lord Who At Cana's Wedding Feast"1 (Lyrics) |
Revelation 7:9-10 – After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (KJV)
My grandparents were wonderful people, and they had thirteen children!
When I was a child, they lived within walking distance, and every day, I loved going to their house. They always found time for me and always made me feel so loved and special.
Family reunions were very important to my grandparents. Every four years, a designated place would be chosen where all the relatives would travel to and gather together to spend as much time as their busy schedules would allow.
We would all have such a grand time. There were games and prizes for the kids, and gazebos where the adults gathered to talk, laugh, share, and reminisce.
The food was wonderful, too: cookouts, Aunt Mabel's blueberry pie, Uncle Milton's salted herring (which, surprisingly, I liked), cousin Patty's strawberry-rhubarb jam, and so on.
When my grandparents passed on, the reunion tradition continued for a long time, but after ten of their children were called home to glory, the family reunions became fewer and fewer.
Sad to say, the torch is no longer carried and passed along. No longer do family members travel from different cities, states, or countries to meet together for a real family reunion.
The pilgrimages have been replaced by technology — a tweet here, an Instagram there, a blog, or a Facebook page.
However, one day at the final reunion in heaven, all of us who know Jesus Christ as Saviour will gather together once again. What a glorious day that will be!
2 Corinthians 5:8 – We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (KJV)
I was a grown woman with a family of my own when my grandmother passed. Since she loved family reunions so much, I shared this poem, as if in her words, at her homegoing celebration.
- The Final Reunion
As you my dear family
Are now seated in place
I wish you could see
All the joy on my face
I am pain free, I'm happy
I'm surrounded by love
(To her family she whispers
From portals above)
Heaven is wonderful
It's a glorious place
I wish you could see it
I wish you could taste
Up here now with Jesus
I and others await
For our family reunion
Inside heaven's gate
Make sure that you know Him
Make sure you are His
Because heaven is real
And my loved ones, He lives!
What a comfort and joy is the thought of seeing our departed loved ones in Christ once again, and more importantly, getting to be forever in the presence of our Lord.
Prayer: Hallelujah, Lord! We praise You today, we thank You, and we look forward to the day when we will be with You for all eternity in heaven. Amen.
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Monday, March 17, 2025 – In Asia — Way up in the hills are about 70,000 villagers of a particular people group. Many have already heard the gospel, and believed. A team of local Christians, have developed an audio-driven overview of the Bible to help the new, untrained believing locals to understand the gospel more clearly and give them resources to share with villagers who have not yet heard. Pray for God to bring a revival to this people group and to deepen their relationships with God.
daughter: "Update March 15, 2025: Our daughter is very ill at this time with a severe cough. Please continue..." 
This is the end of an era! RM: "I would like to share my thanks for all the hard work done and time spent by Robin and the team..." 
End of era: "Pray for Robin Ross and for the Presby Daily Devotional. Pray God's will be done in all..." 
Amen, Cheremiah.
I would love to see that lovely reunion. Blessings.
Thank you for sharing this devotional and lovely poem with us. Blessings.
Hi Cheryl, what a great blessing you’ve had with your family! Thanks for sharing your poem.
Beautiful and Amen!
(Ontario, Canada)
Dear Cheryl:
I just love your indomitable Spirit! Praise be to God!
Thank you for sharing your gift of wonderful poetry with us once again.
Blessings.
A day to look forward to for sure! Thanks for this devotion and for another lovely poem. Blessings.
Really enjoyed your message. My husband and I just celebrated our birthdays. All our family were there except for one granddaughter who is in Australia. She is going to fly home for Christmas. What a wonderful day with family and friends. We are truly Blessed.
Hi Chery;
BEAUTIFUL! since I am unlikely to get to Arizona… see you in heaven! (doesnt it feel good to be able to say that with assurance!)
Blessings.
Hi Cheryl,
Just a line to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your fine devotions recently. Keep them coming please.
(Ont.)
A very lovely devotion Cheryl. Thank you for sharing your family experiences with us. Yes, a great reunion awaits us when we are called “home”! We wait with patience.
Blessings on your day today.
(Ontario, Canada)
Cheremiah,
You have such a natural way of drawing readers into your story. What an appropriate topic for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays pending when we are thinking of family reunions. And, especially of that huge reunion in Heaven.
Dear Cheremiah,
Many thanks for another beautiful devotional. You write such special and deep meaning poems.
Blessings to you,
(B.C.)
I saw your devotional and I went to school with one of a family of 13. I did not know them well as they did not live near me but the one I knew was a really nice person. I had relatives who lived in that area who said they were the nicest neighbours. The large family had the smallest house but the biggest heart.
(ON)
I so enjoyed your devotional today, Cheryl. What a lovely idea to gather together with your family for a reunion so often!
I especially enjoyed the poem that you included today, it brought a broad smile to my lips as I read it.
You were very blessed to have these reunions and now you’re blessing others with their memories.
Thank you for sharing this part of your story.
Hello My Friend
That was beautiful, thanks for sharing the story and the poem. Yes, we too do not do the reunions any longer, but I did manage to get some family together for a day this summer. It was great. My youngest sister shared things about family from her genealogy of family that she has been working on for quite a while.
God bless.
Dear Cheryl, thank you for your message today. It sure hit home. My parents died many years ago. For 25 years we have continued to have a family Christmas party, but each of our families are grown and the family seems to drifting apart. The cousins will never know each other the way we did back in the day. The family Christmas party no longer seems to be a priority, and each year the numbers dwindle.
It is sad to see family traditions fade, but in this age of technology, everything has changed.
Thanks again. Praise be to God our Heavenly Father.
(QC CANADA)
Thank you! I’ve read these devotions for years, noting the age difference, I couldn’t relate to assisted living I always thought I was so much younger. Today, I’m may be younger, but my experiences are catching up. My husband passed recently. I know he’s in heaven. I know he has dined with his mom and dad. I’m sorry we couldn’t have forty more years together. Heaven is his honored and well-deserved reward as he worked till the day he died. This world had nothing for him. His blessing here was doing for others and his reward is eternity with our Lord.
Thank you For reinforcing God’s promises.
I can’t tell you how this devotional blessed me so much, especially today.
As I recall all of the events leading up to my brother’s departure, God shows me more and more how He ordained this wonderful event. The details become more obvious with each passing year. Now, it’s as if my brother is away on a trip. He was a musician who recorded and performed all over the world. But your message touched my heart so tenderly because family was everything to him, to us and our last gathering was the year before he died and it too, was grand.
So, I know God can top what we did, and I look forward to seeing him and all of the family there….and meeting you.
I praise God for using you on this date and for this profound reminder that heaven awaits.
Be blessed….
Amen, Cheremiah.
I would love to see that lovely reunion. Blessings.
Thank you for sharing this devotional and lovely poem with us. Blessings.
Hi Cheryl, what a great blessing you’ve had with your family! Thanks for sharing your poem.
Beautiful and Amen!
(Ontario, Canada)
Dear Cheryl:
I just love your indomitable Spirit! Praise be to God!
Thank you for sharing your gift of wonderful poetry with us once again.
Blessings.
A day to look forward to for sure! Thanks for this devotion and for another lovely poem. Blessings.
Really enjoyed your message. My husband and I just celebrated our birthdays. All our family were there except for one granddaughter who is in Australia. She is going to fly home for Christmas. What a wonderful day with family and friends. We are truly Blessed.
Hi Chery;
BEAUTIFUL! since I am unlikely to get to Arizona… see you in heaven! (doesnt it feel good to be able to say that with assurance!)
Blessings.
Hi Cheryl,
Just a line to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your fine devotions recently. Keep them coming please.
(Ont.)
A very lovely devotion Cheryl. Thank you for sharing your family experiences with us. Yes, a great reunion awaits us when we are called “home”! We wait with patience.
Blessings on your day today.
(Ontario, Canada)
Cheremiah,
You have such a natural way of drawing readers into your story. What an appropriate topic for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays pending when we are thinking of family reunions. And, especially of that huge reunion in Heaven.
Dear Cheremiah,
Many thanks for another beautiful devotional. You write such special and deep meaning poems.
Blessings to you,
(B.C.)
I saw your devotional and I went to school with one of a family of 13. I did not know them well as they did not live near me but the one I knew was a really nice person. I had relatives who lived in that area who said they were the nicest neighbours. The large family had the smallest house but the biggest heart.
(ON)
I so enjoyed your devotional today, Cheryl. What a lovely idea to gather together with your family for a reunion so often!
I especially enjoyed the poem that you included today, it brought a broad smile to my lips as I read it.
You were very blessed to have these reunions and now you’re blessing others with their memories.
Thank you for sharing this part of your story.
Hello My Friend
That was beautiful, thanks for sharing the story and the poem. Yes, we too do not do the reunions any longer, but I did manage to get some family together for a day this summer. It was great. My youngest sister shared things about family from her genealogy of family that she has been working on for quite a while.
God bless.
Dear Cheryl, thank you for your message today. It sure hit home. My parents died many years ago. For 25 years we have continued to have a family Christmas party, but each of our families are grown and the family seems to drifting apart. The cousins will never know each other the way we did back in the day. The family Christmas party no longer seems to be a priority, and each year the numbers dwindle.
It is sad to see family traditions fade, but in this age of technology, everything has changed.
Thanks again. Praise be to God our Heavenly Father.
(QC CANADA)
Thank you! I’ve read these devotions for years, noting the age difference, I couldn’t relate to assisted living I always thought I was so much younger. Today, I’m may be younger, but my experiences are catching up. My husband passed recently. I know he’s in heaven. I know he has dined with his mom and dad. I’m sorry we couldn’t have forty more years together. Heaven is his honored and well-deserved reward as he worked till the day he died. This world had nothing for him. His blessing here was doing for others and his reward is eternity with our Lord.
Thank you For reinforcing God’s promises.
I can’t tell you how this devotional blessed me so much, especially today.
As I recall all of the events leading up to my brother’s departure, God shows me more and more how He ordained this wonderful event. The details become more obvious with each passing year. Now, it’s as if my brother is away on a trip. He was a musician who recorded and performed all over the world. But your message touched my heart so tenderly because family was everything to him, to us and our last gathering was the year before he died and it too, was grand.
So, I know God can top what we did, and I look forward to seeing him and all of the family there….and meeting you.
I praise God for using you on this date and for this profound reminder that heaven awaits.
Be blessed.