by Pastor Cecil | Sep 14, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 86:4-7
“Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are kind and forgiving, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on You. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of trouble I will call to you, for You will answer me.”
Back in April of 1970, Apollo 13 was one it’s way to the moon. After almost 56 hours into the flight, there was a problem. Commander James Lovell called back to Mission Control; “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here!”
You can imagine the consternation that swept through the hearts of all who were involved. It was an especially stressful time for the families of those three men who struggled to stay alive as Apollo 13 aborted the lunar landing and returned to earth. You may have seen the movie of the incident. Things happen unexpectedly, would you agree?
Each time there is a launch of one of our space shuttles, I go to my friendly NASA website and watch the liftoff and follow the activities during the mission. It is always a relief when the shuttle approaches the designated landing site and flares out for a smooth touch down.
There are so many things that could go wrong that nothing can ever be taken for granted. It is the same with our own personal lives. Frequently unexpected and unpleasant situations arise. We are faced with a choice of wailing and weeping, or praising the Lord and allowing Him to take over.
When we encounter times of trouble in our life, we need to make a call to the “Mission Control” of our lives, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Psalmist was doing just that in the passage I quoted from Psalm 86. He starts with words of praise and glory for the wonderful attributes of God: kind, forgiving and loving. God does not need to be reminded that these are His traits, but He loves to hear it, since it reveals that we know what He is like.
At this very moment you may be going through a troublesome time. If so, just call out; “Lord we’ve got a little trouble here!” Then start praising the Lord for His goodness, grace and power. Recognize that He is the one with the answers. Trust in Him and follow exactly what He instructs you to do. As you do, you will be directed to a safe and secure landing!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 13, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Matthew 13:24-26
“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.’ “
Joyce and I enjoy watching the Antiques Roadshow, originating from here in the United States, Canada, well as from Great Britain. From time to time an appraiser will show how some article has been “doctored” to look like an antique. It is actually a modern piece made to deceive a buyer into thinking it was old when it was not.
It is interesting to learn that it is legal to make a replica of an antique object and sell it as a replica. The problem comes when there is an intent to deceive buyers by constructing an item that looks antique when it is not. Many have been sent to prison for this offense.
Most of us have planted seeds at one time or another. We may not be farmers, but like the feel of dirt in our hands and the excitement of seeing the first sign of life from seeds which we had planted. We once had a neighbor who liked to grow tomatoes. He and several of his buddies were in a competition to see whose tomatoes ripened first. One year our neighbor bought a few ripe tomatoes at the store and wired them invisibly on his vines. His buddies were stunned with the sight of these beautiful ripe tomatoes while their tomatoes were still green.
It would be safe to say that each of us are farmers of a sort. There is the time for sowing and a time for reaping. Seeds are little, bitty bits that rarely look anything like the final product. Small black specks can grow into large productive plants.
Wheat, however, is one of those crops which looks like the final product. It is the grain itself which is used to produce flour, or eaten whole as a cereal. The farmer must choose whether that grain is to be used to provide food, or to fall into the ground, die and reproduce more wheat.
Jesus is a beautiful example of this principle. His purpose was not so much in being the end product as it was in dying in order that a great harvest of souls may result. We who have received Jesus as our personal Savior are a portion of His harvest.
It is evident that Jesus desires that we follow His example. We are to sow seeds which will produce a wonderful and productive harvest. The good seeds that we sow are the acts of faith and obedience to His commands.
In my Bible studies I often speak of how often we miss the mark in our prayer life by not resting in the Lord and listening to Him. True communion with the Lord is not all just our talk and our long list of items we desire for God to do. It is so much more than that. It is listening to Him and enjoying His nearness that produces real fruit.
Christ’s love in action becomes our response to His prompting. Doing something good and then expecting Him to be pleased with us is not sowing good seed. It may in fact be weed sowing. Good seeds are sown by our being so close to the Lord and His Word that we can feel His urging us to a particular course of action.
What about those weeds that Jesus speaks of in this parable? Well, it can be doing things that are out of His will – specific sinful activities or attitudes. Weeds are sown when we gossip or express any sort of critical spirit. It can also be doing good things for wrong reasons.
Here is the bottom line of the parable–it is not our responsibility to be weed pullers. There will be a day in which the unrighteous deeds (weeds) will be bundled together and burned. I do not want to be in that category!
The good seeds however, will then be gathered together and brought into the Lord’s barn. That is the group I want to be included with!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 12, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
I Corinthians 15:51-53
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
John had enlisted in the army. During his first day of military service he had been subjected to rigors he never could have imagined in his wildest nightmare. He had arrived at his new post in the early morning hours after a long flight. All day long he had been marched to–screamed at–and exercised to almost complete exhaustion.
His bed had never felt so good. He had just piled into bed when his drill sergeant appeared at the entrance to the barracks and demanded that everyone get out of bed and stand at attention! He had found a ball of lint on the floor and demanded that they get down on their hands and knees to clean every square inch with their bare hands.
It was after midnight before the sergeant finally stomped out after telling the men how miserable they were and that they would never amount to anything! The men wearily got back into their bunks and almost immediately were sound asleep. It seemed like only a few moments (actually about six hours later) when a horrendous sound was heard. It was their corporal blowing a trumpet to mark reveille. That trumpet was to sound each morning at 0600 during his basic training and prepared him for the trials of his training.
The trumpet has always been used to sound the alert and call people to action. God established this fifth of the seven feasts, Rosh Hashana or Feast of Trumpets, to call His people to spiritual attention. The Day of Atonement was just seven days away and people needed to get their lives ready.
There are some today who ignore these seven established Feasts without realizing their spiritual impact. If there was ever a time when we needed a trumpet call of God’s warning, it is in our day and age. The signs of His return which Jesus gives us in Matthew 24, read like the morning newspaper. The time is near!
The Feast of Trumpets signaled to the people that hearts had to be changed. As Jesus told the Parable of the Ten Virgins, He was teaching the necessity of being ready when our Bridegroom returns to call us to be with Him. They knew that the bridegroom would return unexpectedly just as we know that our Bridegroom will arrive unexpectedly.
Our Bridegroom paid the price for our sins when He died on Calvary. Those who are wise and receive Him into their life will be saved. Those who neglect His great salvation will be lost. Now is the time for action. God’s Trumpet call is sounding to awaken us from our slumber and get ready. Listen! Can you hear it?
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 11, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Deuteronomy 7:18-19
“But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.”
Just mention 9/11 and people will immediately associate it with the wicked terrorist attacks in September 2001. The deaths at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in an open field in Pennsylvania shocked the entire world. The responses to the terrorist attacks have run the gamut of human emotions. Some have grieved, some became fearful, others angry, and others have turned to the Lord. One thing is certain — there has been a response!
In the days before the 9/11 attack, people had increasingly left God out of their life. The courts attempted to erase God from our public awareness. The schools, which allow many types of perversion and twisted thinking, expelled God from the classrooms.
Amazingly, the very people who denied God’s existence or who had turned their backs on God, suddenly blamed Him for not preventing the attacks?! That was not only true for the 9/11 attacks, but also for many other tragedies. How foolish unbelieving mortals can be!
God has repeatedly promised that if we give ourselves to Him, He will fight our battles for us. Consider Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge God and He will make your paths straight.” The condition for His leadership and protection is in our acknowledging God in all of our ways.
Since 9/11/01, the world has been exposed to many threats or even actual attacks. One or two individuals are able to cause catastrophic consequences. Should we tremble in fear? No! Listen to what God says in Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Wow! That should produce confidence. But the confidence can only be experienced as we surrender to God. We will never find confidence by rejecting God, or by rebelling against God, or ignoring God– it will only be found as we cry out to God for His mercy and forgiveness.
My heart cries out for a deep spiritual renewal. The only way for spiritual renewal to begin is to begin with ourselves. It is confessing our individual sins as well as the sins of our people. It is asking the Lord to come into our life in a new and fresh power for service and ministry.
As we do this, we can look with confidence about what lies ahead. Here is an old chorus we used to sing with possibly a few changes: “Are we down hearted? No! No! No! Are we down hearted? No! No! No! Troubles may come and troubles may go, we’ll trust in Jesus no matter the foe! Are we down hearted? No! No! No!”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 10, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Philippians 1:20-24
“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. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”
A dear friend and subscriber from South Africa, Cecil Friedenthal, sent me the following. When I read it, I knew I had to share it today. I hope you will be as touched by it as I was.
Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, “I love you and I wish you enough.”
The daughter replied, “Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom”.
They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?”
“Yes, I have,” I replied. “Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?”
“I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is – the next trip back will be for my funeral,” she said.
“When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough.’ May I ask what that means?”
She began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. “When we said, ‘I wish you enough,’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.” Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
“I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
“I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
“I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
“I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
“I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
“I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.”
She then began to cry and walked away.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them but then an entire life to forget them.
I WISH YOU ENOUGH! ENOUGH IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
