by Pastor Cecil | Aug 31, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
I Chronicles 16:14-18
“He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”
A number of years ago my wife, Joyce and I were attending the Billy Graham School of Evangelism in Santa Barbara, California. Several hundred pastors and wives were in attendance. During the week that we were there, an elderly pastor sat on the front row.
As someone would minister and bless him, he would shout out, My! My! My! It was not long before everyone had fallen in love with his sweet spirit and very obvious love of the Lord. At the close of the last session, he was asked to come to the podium and pronounce the benediction. As he slowly made his way onto the platform, there was something of a spontaneous shout of praise went up from the crowd— MY! MY! MY!
Of all the people in the Bible, David stands above all others in the area of praise. From his youth it seems that he was captivated with the awesome nature of God, and expressed it in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. What a guy! Too often we read words of praise and are caught up in the adulation of the moment, but fail to see the depth of meaning being expressed.
This passage mentions God’s covenant with Abraham. Covenant is a fantastic principle. It is expressed and confirmed in the presence of death. Between two people, it involves an animal which has been killed. Between God and Abraham, it was animals, a heifer, a goat and a ram, along with a dove and young pigeon. Each was cut in half. This covenant was unique in that God alone passed between the pieces. Between God and each of us, it is the body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who was sacrificed in our behalf.
Men may deny the existence of God, they may ignore or reject God, but God is still supreme. We read in today’s Scripture that God’s judgments are in all the earth. What that tells me, is that man may deny it, but God is the Blessed Controller of All Things!
It is impossible for us to emphasize the reality of God’s covenant. God has never broken a covenant, nor will He ever break His covenant with man. His covenant has both promises and consequences. It seems impossible that rational people would fail to recognize that rejecting God will result in such horrible judgment, that it is impossible to comprehend. But His promises are also true.
What does this say to us? Probably many things, but certainly it teaches that we need not nor can we work out our own salvation. There is absolutely no possible way we can do enough good things or obey enough commands to be righteous in God’s sight. It is His work, and we either accept it or continue on in our rejection of a completed work.
David must have seen through the eyes of faith, that one day, almost 1,000 years in the future, Jesus, the promised Messiah, would be born. This precious Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world would be of his house and lineage.
As we read what David penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it is vital that we understand that God’s covenant applies to us. We have been grafted into the branch. His promises of His love and provision are our constant hope and assurance. We are the recipients of God’s greatest blessing. MY! MY! MY!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 30, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Philippians 4:12-13
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives strength.”
Several years ago I received the following humorous story. I hasten to add that it could just as easily apply to men as well as women:
Recently a “Husband Shopping Center” opened in Oklahoma City, where women could go to choose a husband from among many men. It was laid out in five floors, with the men increasing in positive attributes as you ascended up the floors. The only rule was, once you opened the door to any floor, you must choose a man from that floor, and if you went up a floor, you couldn’t go back down except to leave the place never to return. A couple of girlfriends go to the Center to find husbands.
First floor:
The door had a sign saying, “These men have jobs and love kids.” The women read the sign and say, “Well, that’s better than not having jobs, or not loving kids, but I wonder what’s further up?” So up they go.
Second floor:
“These men have high paying jobs, love kids, and are extremely good looking.” Hmmm, say the girls. But, I wonder what’s further up?
Third floor:
“These men have high paying jobs, are extremely good looking, love kids and help with the housework.” Wow! say the women. Very tempting, BUT, there’s more further up! And up they go.
Fourth floor:
“These men have high paying jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.” Oh, mercy me. But just think! What must be awaiting us further on! So up to the fifth floor they go.
Fifth floor:
The sign on that door said, “This floor is empty and exists only to prove that women are impossible to please. Good-bye.”
“If only I had a husband, or a wife, or a new car, or a new house or such and such—then I would be content!” How many times have we heard that, or even uttered words such as those. By nature we seem to be a people that lack a feeling of contentment. There is always something not quite to our liking.
The lack of contentment, my dear friends, comes as a result of being controlled by our carnal, human nature. Trust me on this, we are in a battle between our human nature and our spiritual nature. Sadly it is often our human nature that wins out over the spiritual resolves we make.
I am so glad that Paul gives us a radiant testimony of his victory over discontent. He freely states that there were times in his life when he was prosperous. But there were also times when he had nothing. He wants us to understand that it is not the good things of life or distasteful things that matter—it is Christ who makes the difference.
Paul sums up his comments on the plenty and lack in a unique manner. It is not the good times or the bad times which gives us contentment in this life. It is the power of Christ, not our power that matters; “I can do everything through Him who gives strength.”
Here is another verse which should be a constant reminder for each of us who strive to find lasting contentment. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be “contented.”
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 29, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Philippians 1:20-21
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
As the days slipped away, it became apparent that Bobbi Cafferty was closer to her heavenly home than to her earthly one. Cancer had spread through her body and caused severe devastation. She maintained a glowing spirit and became a blessing to all who stopped by to visit her nursing home room.
I am sure that her actions spoke much louder than her words. In spite of that, her words became a blessing of hope and promise to those around her, staff as well as other residents. In those days of preparing for her departure from this earth, she wrote the following that was used in her funeral folder.
Her words contain humor as well as a bright hope for each one of us who will be walking down the same path some day.
There was once a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and noticed she only had three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said “I think I’ll braid my hair today” So she did and she had a wonderful day!
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head “Hmmm…,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today” So she did and had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. “Well,” she said “Today I am going to wear a pony tail.” So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head “Yeah!” she exclaimed, “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”
Attitude is everything, Have a good day. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply, Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly and Leave the rest to God!
Bobbi had the same attitude that Paul expressed in today’s Scripture. For those of us who have been born again, death is not something to be feared, but just a step into our eternal reward. Thanks Paul! Thanks Bobbi!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 28, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Matthew 28:18-20
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ “
A friend of ours sent the following story. It is long but well worth the reading. I pass it on to you without comment.
DANIEL’S MISSION
I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day. As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, “I will work for food.” My heart sank.
I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: “Don’t go back to the office until you’ve at least driven once more around the square.” Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square’s third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town’s newest visitor. “Looking for the pastor?” I asked. “Not really,” he replied, “just resting.” “Have you eaten today?” “Oh, I ate something early this morning.” “Would you like to have lunch with me?” “Do you have some work I could do for you?” “No work,” I replied. “I commute here to work, but I would like to take you to lunch.” “Sure,” he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. “Where you headed?” ” St. Louis.” “Where are you from?” “Oh, all over; mostly Florida.” “How long you been walking?” “Fourteen years,” came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, “Jesus is The Never Ending Story.”
Then Daniel’s story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He’d made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought. He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God.
”Nothing’s been the same since,” he said, “I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.” “Ever think of stopping?” I asked. “Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That’s what’s in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.”
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: “What’s it like to walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?” “Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn’t make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people’s concepts of other folks like me.”
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, “Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.” I felt as if we were on holy ground. “Could you use another Bible?” I asked.
He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. “I’ve read through it 14 times,” he said. “I’m not sure we’ve got one of those, but let’s stop by our church and see.” I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
“Where are you headed from here?” I asked. “Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.” “Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?” “No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that’s where I’m going next.”
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we’d met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things. “Would you sign my autograph book?” he asked. “I like to keep messages from folks I meet.”
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord; “plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope.”
“Thanks, man,” he said. “I know we just met and we’re really just strangers, but I love you.” “I know,” I said, “I love you, too.” “The Lord is good!” “Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?” I asked “A long time,” he replied.
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, “See you in the New Jerusalem.” “I’ll be there!” was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, “When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?” “You bet,” I shouted back, “God bless.” “God bless.” And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them… a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.
Then I remembered his words: “If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?” Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. “See you in the New Jerusalem ,” he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will…
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 27, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Exodus 36:6-7
“Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: ‘No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.’ And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.”
Do you ever feel that you do not belong? You find yourself in a situation or with a group of people that you suddenly know that you should not be with. There is a feeling in the pit of your stomach that churns with a feeling of revulsion and you feel like running into the arms of the Lord.
I was surrounded by a scene of drinking and revelry that offended and shocked me. As an Air Force officer I was assigned to a small isolated unit far from home. Officers who had shown moral principles before coming to this place, were now living like there was no tomorrow.
As the Personnel Officer for the Squadron, I knew that I was required to spend one year in this environment. I prayed and asked the Lord for strength to endure. Each time I went to the dining hall for a meal, I would bow my head and thank the Lord for the food and for the strength to let my light shine.
One evening we had a special dinner in the officer’s lounge. As we were preparing to eat, the commanding officer asked for attention. He then asked me if I would return thanks for the food. I was shocked by his request and wondered why he had made that request.
As we began to eat, he asked me about my faith. He said that he had noticed that I never entered into the drinking bouts with the others and asked why. I shared my convictions and commitment to remain true to the Lord, even if it meant spending most of my time alone in my room. He looked around the table and said, “You men listen carefully. If I hear of any of you trying to entice Cecil to do things against his convictions, you will answer to me!” From that moment on I had a ministry to the men that exceeded that of a chaplain, had I been one.
Thinking back on that situation, I have just been sickened by reading of the terrible eccesses of many television evangelists. It is one thing to ask for funds to carry out ministry objectives, but when the funds are used to pay for their expensive lifestyles, then I hang my head in shame.
Million dollar weddings, hundreds of thousands for jewelry, millions of dollars for homes, millions for personal jets, Huge sums to buy luxury automobiles, plastic surgery, just to list some of the things which these people indulge themselves in.
In today’s Scripture we read about Moses as he went about the task of building the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He had called upon the people to bring in all sorts of precious items to be used in the project. They had responded and all of the materials had been given. It was then time for Moses to issue a decree; “ENOUGH!”
When is “enough” going to sink into our comprehension? There are specific needs around us, but those needs are sure not for us to lavish ourselves in luxury while at the same time claiming to be giving to those in need.
It is time to say, “enough” to the things of the world which entice us. It is time to say, “enough” to low living with high sounding religiosity. It is time to say, “enough” to so called spiritual leaders who say one thing and do another. One of these men was quoted as saying the following on June 20, 2005; “I don’t get into controversial subjects like sin and judgment. False religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism don’t concern me. I don’t really know who’s going to hell and who isn’t.”
May God have mercy on us and preserve us from shepherds who feed themselves and allow their flock to scatter!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
