by Pastor Cecil | Nov 23, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Have you ever made a choice and later regret the choice? If you haven’t, you are a rare breed. I can vividly recall as Joyce and I traveled toward a new duty station with the US Air Force in Rapid City, South Dakota. As we looked at the map, we saw that we could choose one of two routes. We had never traveled through that area before and were perplexed as to which route we should take. One looked shorter so we decided to take it. WRONG CHOICE! We ended up in a snow storm, off the road and walking two miles for help. Ah, yes! I remember it well!
Let me tell you of a choice a young man, named Dan had to make. Dan came to my office for counseling. He had more than his share of troubles, one of which was his job. He worked for a potato processing plant. It was a seasonal job and not very appealing. Dan complained of the working conditions and especially about his supervisor.
I asked Dan: “What is the worst task associated with your job?” Without hesitation he said: It is cleaning up rotten potatoes at the end of the processing line.” I smiled (my evil smile) and said: “I would like for you to volunteer for that job. But not only volunteer for it, count the ways you can be thankful for it.” My advise was not met with a great deal of enthusiasm, but he agreed to do it.
A week later Dan burst into my office with more excitement than a kid who has discovered a stash of candy. He had followed through and asked for the assignment. His volunteering for that despised task so shocked his obnoxious supervisor that his whole attitude toward Dan changed. Within weeks Dan’s pay was increased and at the end of the season Dan was the last of the temporary employees to be let go.
It was a choice Dan had made. Dan determined in his heart to serve this menial task—as unto the Lord! He said that one of the benefits of that assignment was the time alone with God. He worked alone and could spend all the time he wanted on memorizing and meditating on Scripture as well as praying to the Lord with joy in his heart. His choice was to be content with a task that others despised. Wow! That was dynamite!
My prayer for each of us is that we would begin to live our lives fully for Christ. What a change the world would see if they observed believers living a totally dedicated life. “Only one life, t’will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 22, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Hebrews 5:12-14
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Ted, a Christian businessman was absolutely frustrated. You see, Ted had recently hired a man from his church to fill a vacancy at his business. The man had been out of work for several months and the family was struggling financially. The church had been praying for the man to find a job. Ted was delighted that he could assist the family and at the same time have a conscientious employee who was a Christian. His joy was short lived.
There was a big problem—-the man was a flake! I don’t think that is a spiritual term, but I hope you will grasp the meaning. The man was a terrible representative of Christianity. He was often late arriving for work, took longer for lunch and breaks than was allowed and did his job in a halfhearted manner.
Ted counseled and prayed with the man, but there was no improvement. In fact the man became sullen and bitter toward Ted. The matter resolved itself to some degree when the man quit unexpectedly and went to work for another company which was a competitor of Ted’s company.
This is a fictitious story although I have heard reports that such things have happened. It is heartbreaking to imagine that any Christian could behave on the job in a manner that is questionable.
Integrity! This week we have looked at who God is and how we as human creatures are by nature sinful and separated from God. It is only by the blood of Jesus that we have been redeemed and have been given a new life in Christ.
Having been born again, we come into the Christian life as spiritual babies. Sad to say, there are some Christians who have remained mere spiritual babies instead of maturing in the Lord. It is tragic that many people who should be living examples of Jesus Christ, are dismal failures with little or no integrity.
Every Christian should be a radiant example of Christ. We should consider others before ourselves and put in an honest day’s work for the wages we are paid. We will speak of that tomorrow. Watch for it!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 21, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Romans 7:18-19
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
“I can’t–He can–That’s all I need to know—Let’s go!” I cannot recall who I heard make this statement, but I am sure it was from a sermon tape. Some of you may be able to recall the old reel to reel tapes before the days of cassettes and CD’s. You might say it was in the days of the dinosaurs!
There were wonderful messages by Donald Barnhouse, Howard Hendricks, Major Ian Thomas, J. Sidlow Baxter, just to name a few. When I was on my one year assignment to Newfoundand, Canada, I spent hour after hour with my tapes and following along in my Bible. A whole new world of spiritual truth was opened to me.
In yesterday’s Daily-E-Votional, we were left with a rather dismal view of ourselves–without Christ, we are nothing. If we were to stop at that juncture, we would be left with a bleak outlook. Hang on folks, there’s good news ahead. Even with that realization In Philippians 4:13, Paul breaks forth with this message of hope: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (If that doesn’t stir your embers, your campfire is dying out!)
This is the secret to the successful Christian life. It is Christ in us that enables us to be effective in the work of the Lord. So why should we be concerned about working for the Lord? Again let me turn to Scripture for the answer. In II Peter 3:10-13, the apostle Peter wakes us up to reality: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
There is one phrase in this passage that stands out for me: ” – – – what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness – – ?” Think about that for awhile. It is not the things of this world that matter, but eternity that counts. If this is the case (it is) why are we expending so much of our time, talents and treasures on those things that will be consumed with a fervent heat?
Tomorrow and Friday we will be considering the Practical Patterns of Personal Performance. Stay tuned!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 20, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Romans 7:18-19
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
Yesterday we introduced the topic for this week–“KNOWING GOD!” Why is that so important? Let me tell you why. Years ago I heard a man who had been to the emergency room of a large hospital to see a critically ill friend. As he was entering the elevator to leave the intensive care floor, one of the nurses called him “Chaplain.”
As the elevator door closed he noticed a paper boy standing at the back of the car. The boy suddenly asked: “Are you a preacher?” The man said that he ministered for the Lord whenever he could. The boy then asked: “Mister, where is heaven, where is hell?”
Bob told the boy to place his hand on his heart. He then asked: “What do you feel son?” The boy responded: “My heart beating.” Bob then gave this fantastic answer to the boy’s question: “Where is heaven—where is hell? One heartbeat away!
None of us know when that heart that beats within our body will cease beating and we will be face eternity. At that time there will be no opportunity to repent and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into our heart and make us the kind of person He wants us to be.
God is not impressed with our good deeds. Other people may think that we are something special, but God is not impressed. Read what Isaiah says in Isaiah 63:6: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” I am told that the reference to “filthy rags” in this passage means menstrual cloths–and that is our righteousness!
I know that someone may say that this passage in Isaiah is from the Old Testament. That is why it is important to read from today’s Scripture what a mighty preacher of God’s Word, the apostle Paul, has to say about the matter: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.”
It is not what we do for Christ that makes us fit for heaven. We can almost feel the drops of His blood as we kneel at the cross and ask Him to do in and through us what we are not able to do ourselves. We have to be “Born Again.” It is more than believing that there is a God—He must be our personal Savior.
I lay this fundamental teaching out for an important reason. If we are going to discover who the Living God really is, we have to be equipped with the spiritual eyes to recognize Him. We must be prepared to identify the leadership of the Lord in our lives. It is only then that we will grow as His faithful servants.
Hang on—there will be more to come during the week!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 19, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Romans 1:20-23
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
Imagine, if you will, traveling into the deepest and most remote part of the jungle of the mighty Amazon basin. You come upon a man dressed only in a loincloth. Somehow you are able to easily communicate with him. You travel with him to his village. You observe as he and the other villagers hunt, fish and gather edible roots and berries in order to survive. After spending several days there, you are able to grasp some semblance of what his life is like.
One day your friend asks you what life is like where you live. It suddenly dawns on you that you can show him. In all of the mass of baggage you have brought with you, you begin to pull out various items to show him what your thirty story apartment building is like in New York City.
First you excitedly take out a brick and place it on the ground. Then comes a section of a steel beam. Next you excitedly place a marble tile on the ground followed by a sack of concrete. Out comes a gallon of paint, a chandelier and faucet for a kitchen sink. You proudly smile at all of the things you have produced. Tell me—does your new friend have any idea what your high rise apartment looks like? I don’t think so!
Having bits and pieces of the knowledge of God does not tell us about Him. Knowing God’s attributes does not insure that we have an intimate relationship with Him. We must have an experience with Him! Like the aborigine, we may see the pieces, but not have a personal walk with God.
We read in God’s Word that He is everywhere. That attribute is described as being, “Omnipresent.” We also come to understand from the Bible that God has all wisdom. He created the stars and calls them by name. On the other extreme He knows all about the smallest particles of matter. We call that attribute of God as being, “Omniscient.” God is the blessed controller of all things. There is nothing that He cannot do. This attribute is called “Omnipotent.”
Throughout this week it will be my intention to have us spend time with God. To learn what He is really like. Not just in bits and pieces, but in His divine nature. At the same time I will strive to compare the reasons we fail to comprehend His plan and purpose for our life. Fasten your seatbelts—it is going to be an exciting ride!!!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
