by Pastor Cecil | Nov 16, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 111:9-10
“He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
We frequently hear the phrase, “a new beginning.” What does it mean? Basically it means that we have run contrary to God’s Word and have found ourselves in deep water. We know that we cannot keep going along the same old way without experiencing dire consequences. It may be poor decisions we have made, or possibly circumstances beyond our control which have bowled us over.
On the negative side, we can regret the condition we are in and spend so much time fretting over what has happened that we lose hope. We become despondent, depressed and derailed. In this condition we sink deeper and deeper into our slough of despond without making an attempt to begin again.
If that is where you find yourself today, I urge you to take heart and look at your condition from the positive point of view. What is the lesson God wishes to teach us from our flops and failures? That we cannot succeed without the Lord having control of our life.
The positive view of our dismal condition is to recognize that a new beginning is required. One of the most common failures that we face is self-sufficiency. Modern self-help gurus will spout that we need to love ourselves and everything will be okay. WRONG!
What does God’s Word have to say about it. In Jeremiah 17:9 we read these words: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” I don’t think having a good image of yourself fits in well with that passage, do you? God wants us to realize that self-sufficiency is wrong! We need a new beginning to allow the Lord to take control of our life.
The Psalmist David sees in today’s Scripture that the “fear of the Lord” is the beginning of wisdom. This is a profound and meaningful discovery. This word fear does not necessarily mean the cowering tremble in anticipation of being slapped.
The fear of the Lord is the eager emotion of anticipation that the God who is control of all things is our source of supply. He will give us His direction and protection as we step boldly forward to obey all He has revealed to us.
One of the reasons for our failure is that we want to see the end from the beginning. This is simply not possible since God will use intermediate goals to accomplish His will in our lives. The beginning in our life is the first step in the process of being Christ’s disciples.
May your new beginning be the start of the greatest adventure imaginable. Right where you are, stop and make your new beginning with God. Keep near Him through the study of His Word and prayer.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 15, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 51:10-13
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.”
This morning I stopped by my favorite cleaners to leave two white shirts for cleaning and pressing. The owner, Dong, and his wife are Koreans. It is always a delight to pick up the laundry and see the transformation. I left them off dirty and wrinkled. I pick them up clean and pressed.
A clean heart and a steadfast spirit are two character qualities that the Psalmist prays to receive. But how do we pursue a clean heart and a steadfast spirit? It is evident from the prayer of David that his works or efforts would not achieve the desired results—it had to come from the Lord.
There is one word in this passage that bears careful consideration. It is the word, “steadfast.” I have underlined it in the Scripture for today. It comes from the Hebrew word “kuwn,” and is translated “right.” Here are some of the nuances of meaning for kuwn: (firm, stable, established, fixed, directed on the right course, morally steadfast). You can see the problem translators face in choosing a single word to define the meaning.
It is significant that David prayed this prayer after Nathan the prophet had confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. He acknowledged that it was the Lord who was the only One who could give him a pure heart and right spirit.
In response to David’s prayer, God did purify his heart and restore a right spirit in him. But there was a price to be paid for his willful sin. We may think we are getting away with our sin, but the reality is that sin brings death. Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We should always remember that even though God forgives and cleanses us from our sin when we cry out to Him, there may be consequences. Not always, but usually.
If we harbor transgressions, bitterness, or an unforgiving spirit within us, we need to have the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, bring a proper attitude. We know that even in the event of consequences that may result from our past actions, the Lord is able to use us.
Some of you who are reading this are behind bars (physical or emotional) as a result of poor decisions and immoral actions. Can God use you right where you are if you call upon His name? Anytime we offer ourselves to the Lord, He will forgive us, cleanse us and use us. Your ministry may have a life-changing impact upon those around you.
Remember that the last person to accept Jesus as his Savior and Lord, before Jesus died on the cross of redemption, was a thief. He was assured that he would be with the Lord that very day in paradise. Just think of the joy at being the bearer of the message of salvation to someone near you!
When the Lord hears our prayer and creates a clean heart within us, we are ready to begin an exciting new life with Him. It is a time when people around you should be able to see that something has happened. If they ask what has changed, you may want to respond: “I have gone to the Lord’s laundry and He has cleaned and pressed me! I am now ready to serve Him in love.”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 14, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Proverbs 6:6-11
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.”
What a difference one little letter can make! I do not mean the correspondence kind, but the “a” to “z” kind. I was made aware of this once again concerning Tuesday’s Daily-E-Votional. I have mentioned that I have two wonderful proof readers: Cathy Baker from the State of Florida and my wife, Joyce, from the State of Washington. It is like being caught in a cross-country examination.
When Cathy sent back her critique, she joyfully pointed out an over sight I had made in one sentence: “If you have a large meal and then begin to pray, the likelihood is that you will be more inclined to doze (DOSE) off than to pray through.” I had typed the word, “dose” instead of “doze”.
So what is wrong with one tiny letter? A world of difference. One is something you take as a prescribed measure and the other is a nodding off at an inappropriate time.
In Matthew 25, Jesus relates the parable of the Ten Virgins. As we read the words of His parable we discover that five virgins were wise and five were foolish. All ten of them “dozed off”, but only the five wise virgins had insured that they had the proper “dose” of oil for their lamps.
One of our subscribers just sent me a series of cartoons showing people bearing their crosses. The character closest began to cry out to the Lord to make his cross shorter. Evidently he could not wait, so he sawed off the bottom of his cross. This was repeated several times until his cross was noticeably shorter than the others.
The group came to a wide chasm that seemed impossible to cross. The others in the group commented: “Let’s use this as a bridge to cross.” They laid their crosses on one side and the other reached to the other side. They walked across with no problem. The man who had repeatedly sawed off the bottom of his cross discovered that his cross was too short to span the gulf. He was stranded!
Jesus Christ came into the world to become our Savior and redeemer. He has provided the one and only dose for the sickness of sin. He is the ONLY means by which we can be saved. His cross spans the terrible gulf between God and man. We find that our denial to receive His gift of eternal life will strand us on the wrong side of eternity.
Here is the question: Are we receiving the “dose” He provided or are we “dozing”? My prayer is that we will open our heart and receive the dose of salvation that cost Him so much, but is so freely given.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 13, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
II Chronicles 20:2-3
“Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”
What is the purpose of prayer and fasting? First and foremost, it is urged upon us by God’s Holy Word, the Bible. We see that in the times where God’s people humbled themselves, fasted and prayed—miracles were the result.
This passage in II Chronicles is only one of the many instances in Scripture where fasting and prayer are used in the time of need and God’s blessing. For instance, Esther called for fasting and prayer before she appeared before the king to plead for her people. The Jews were slated for death by the wicked Haman, and only God’s divine intervention could save them.
In the book of Daniel we are told that he fasted on a regular basis to insure God’s power and protection. Jesus told His disciples that real power was possible only through prayer and fasting.
I have recently made a commitment to fast each Thursday. Please believe me when I say that this is not for the purpose of acting holier than thou. I even hesitate mentioning it, but felt inclined to write about it as a possible encouragement to others who may also desire to get alone with God during the time usually spent at the table.
I will be using this time to pray for God to demonstrate His power and to bring about healing in our sin sick world. Not necessarily physical healing, but the healing of marriages, conflicts in families and finances. Violence and strife have become so prevalent that I want to plead for the sins of this generation.
Not only is fasting given as an example in Scripture, but fasting is a means of reminding us to pray. Just think about it for a moment. If you have a large meal and then begin to pray, the likelihood is that you will be more inclined to doze off than to pray through. When fasting, every growl of the stomach is a reminder to pray!
As Christians we are often smug in our spirituality, yet the truth is that we are often undisciplined in our prayer life. Muslims have their month of fasting (Ramadan), in which they fast during the daylight hours during the entire period. Do we as Christian believers have anywhere near that discipline? I will leave it to you to answer.
I would like to challenge each of us to consider setting aside a regular time in which we will fast and be open before the Lord. I know it will bring strength and power for God to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 12, 2007 | Daily-E-Votionals
Esther 5:9-11
“So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king.”
A housewife discovered a new business which prepared home cooked meals for an entire week. She decided to try it out. Her family went wild! She intimated that it was her own skill that had prepared the delicious meals. Jesus wept!
A Christian businessman had just closed the books on a wonderful and profitable year. There had been new contracts and promises of more to come in the new year. A new young accountant had been the impetus to turn things around. The corporation that owned his company called to the corporate offices to congratulate him for an excellent job. He did not mention the work of his new accountant, but took the credit himself. Jesus wept!
A pastor had just finished delivering a sermon he had copied from “Sermons In A Flash.” As he stood at the door to greet his people as they left—their response was gratifying. Person after person shook his hand and spoke of how much the message had meant to them. He thanked them and spoke of how much he had worked on it and was glad it had been a blessing to them. Jesus wept!
How easy it is to take credit for things instead of recognizing that the Lord has been, and at all times, is in control of each and every phase of our life. None of the praise and glory is ours. It is God’s and God’s alone. He is the One who is to be praised.
In Scripture there are many instances that appeared to be the end for God’s servants: Job on an ash heap, Joseph in a prison, Moses on the far side of the desert, Daniel in a lion’s den. It seemed that God had turned His back on these men who had been chosen to be His witnesses.
In each case, these faithful servants maintained their integrity in the face of terrible affliction. It was not in order for them to receive glory, but in order that God would be glorified. They deflected the praise of men toward the Lord. He is the only One who is to be praised.
One of my favorite portions of Scripture is to be found in Genesis 50:19-20. Joseph’s father had died and his brothers who sold him into slavery are afraid that he would now retaliate. Here is the way he calmed their fears: “Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.’ “
That is the type of attitude that makes the Lord smile. Regardless of the horrible ordeal that we may be going through, we need to recognize that God means it for our good and His glory. Instead of making Him weep, let’s make Him smile as we give Him glory for everything we do.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil
