by Pastor Cecil | Jan 24, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Hebrews 1:1-3
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Just after 6:00 this morning I stepped out on the front porch. The temperature was standing at 21 degrees and the world was locked in an icy grip. I always relish a few seconds (not much more) standing and gazing into the early morning sky and praising God for His mighty creation.
Today things were a little different. There was a full moon low in the west. It was at such an angle to reflect the full force of the Sun’s brilliance. As I took the few seconds to stare at the moon, it was almost too brilliant to look at. I was struck by the reality that the moon was not the source of the brightness, but just a reflection of it!
As I stood there in the cold, today’s Scripture came to mind—especially: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.” When one of the disciples, Philip, asked Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus responded in John 14:9-10: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you are not just My own. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work.”
What an amazing reality. Jesus was both very God and very man. Everything that His Father was—He was. He was perfect truth and righteousness—yet He became sin for us. The brilliance of Father God was radiating from Jesus Christ our Lord.
Just as the moon reflects the brilliance of the Sun, so Jesus reflects the brilliance of His Father. But our Savior calls us to reflect His image—His glory—His righteousness. It is impossible to do this in our own strength or by our own power. We can only do it as we yield ourselves to Him in thought, word and deed.
There is an old hymn that expresses this: “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. All His wonderful passion and purity; May His spirit divine, all my being refine; Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” I pray that this may be the desire of us all.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 23, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
II Corinthians 5:1-3
“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.”
Recently I was watching a documentary about wild animals in south Texas. A man had two tigers and six or seven bears cooped up in small cages. These wild animals were meant to live in large expanses. Instead the owner had placed them in small cages four feet by eight feet and six feet high. Most of these creatures had been there for over eight years; but one of the bears had been there much longer. He was about 30 years old.
It was heartbreaking to see them languishing in these tiny cages that were located in an old abandoned chicken coop. The police along with veterinarians from the Houston Zoo had come to rescue them. The animals had no idea what was happening and were frightened by the team of rescuers.
One by one the animals were coaxed into containers to transport them back to the zoo for examination, treatment and release to natural habitats in the zoo. As horrible as their conditions had been, they were accustomed to them and the fear of the unknown was very stressful for them.
After a few weeks of quarantine at the zoo, the animals were transferred to enclosures that were designed to look like their natural habitat. One of the tigers was shown as he took his first steps into this “new home”. He cautiously took his first steps in his amazing new home.
One of the most memorable things was his reaction to his first steps on grass. All of his life he knew nothing but a hard artificial bit of flooring. Now he had a large new enclosure complete with greenery and even a stream. It was a delight to see him frolic in the water for the first time in his life.
As I watched that tiger coming alive to his new world I thought of our eternal home. Sometimes we become so acclimated to this old miserable world that we fail to think about what the Lord has prepared for those of us who have passed from death to life by being born again by the blood of Jesus.
Perhaps one of the most revealing peeks into our new eternal home is given by Stephen as he was about to be stoned to death. Oh, how glad I am that this dear servant of Jesus Christ showed a glimpse into our glorious new home that is waiting for us.
Here is what Stephen said in Acts 7:55-56: “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ “
A few verses later we read that as he was being stoned, he prayed for the Lord to forgive those who were executing him. He then fell asleep. He stepped into a world beyond anything we can begin to imagine. He had entered into a place that was going to be his new home for eternity. I want each of us to be prepared to one day arrive at —OUR NEW HOME! What a day that will be!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 22, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
John 15:5-8
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
In the shower this morning I was struck with an illustration for today’s Daily-E-Votional. As I was about to place the bar of soap on the holder, I felt a small swelling on one side of the bar. I smiled to myself as I realized that it was the remainder of the old soap bar.
I remembered when the old bar was getting worn down to a sliver. I opened the package on the new bar, but as is my custom, I placed the sliver on the new bar. For several days the new bar and the sliver were definitely two separate items. But after a time the sliver sticks firmly to the new bar.
If I had not put the two together and placed them through the hot water, they would have remained separate— APART! That was not my intention. I wanted them to become A PART! Do you see the difference? They are the same letters, but a space between the “A” and “PART” makes all the difference.
“APART” speaks of separation. In today’s Scripture, Jesus teaches that if we remain “APART” from Him we are worthless. As He says, these branches which are “APART” are worthless and, “- – – such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” That certainly not a pleasant thought.
But what about being “A PART”? That is a completely different story. Like the bar of soap I held in my hand this morning, it becomes one. I am so glad for the positive aspect of the Word of God. Jesus encourages us with His words of assurance: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”
The question before each of us, is whether we will choose to remain “APART” from God’s grace and perfect plan for our life, or become “A PART” of His mighty army of believers. As for me, I choose to be “A PART” !!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 21, 2008 | 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.”
Last Friday the Daily-E-Votional dealt with the Covenant of Praise. I received a response from a very dear friend, who included a bulletin insert that her pastor includes about once a year. There are five items that are included and the pastor asks that those who are willing, to sign and date their intention of entering into these principles. The inserts are not to be turned in, but retained by the one who has made a commitment. Let me share them with you:
1. To worship regularly with the Christian community on Sunday (Hebrews 10:24-25) and to cultivate a lifestyle of worship through the practice of the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, fasting, etc. (Romans 12:1-2)
2. To be in a Life Group (small group ministry) as a means of connecting to God and one another in a smaller community experience as a means of developing stronger and more authentic relationships with God and each other. (Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 3:14-21)
3. To be a lifelong learner of Jesus Christ by taking advantage of the various opportunities to grow spiritually (Adult Education, Spiritual Renewal Conference, etc.) as a means of learning more about loving God with my mind, living in authentic community and pouring myself into a ministry, mission or service project. (II Timothy 2:2 and 3:16; Colossians 1:28 and 4:2)
4. To live a whole life of stewardship that is guided by the movement of grace and gratitude, recognizing that I am graced by God with time, talents and treasure and that I am called to respond to that grace with a lifestyle of gratitude by aspiring to (giving of my time) in worship, ministry and mission of the church; by aspiring to give a tenth or more of my income to further the worship, ministry and mission of the church. (Romans 12:3-8; II Corinthians 9:6-15; Ephesians 4:1-16)
5. To intentionally seek opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed with those who do not yet know Christ because God has called each of us to be a sign of God’s love to the whole world. (Psalm 67:2; Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; I Peter 3:15-16)
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Signature
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Signature Date
Wow! I would encourage you to prayerfully consider signing these five areas of commitment. But before you do, let me suggest something to you. God calls us to enter into a Covenant relationship with Him. That Covenant is bathed in the blood of His own dear Son, Jesus Christ.
As I have shared many times, back before the days of contracts there was a covenant ceremony. The two people who were entering into the covenant would kill an animal and cut it in two pieces. They would join hands and as they walked between the pieces of the slain animal they would utter together; “May it be done unto me as has been done to this animal if ever I break this covenant.” That my precious friend is powerful!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 18, 2008 | 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.”
Today’s Scripture is a Psalm of David found in the book of I Chronicles. It was written by David in honor of the return of the Ark of God. It had been brought to Jerusalem and into the tent that David had prepared for it. 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 by 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 depth of meaning being expressed.
The concept of Covenant is a fantastic reality. It is expressed and confirmed in the presence of death. When two people made a covenant an animal was killed. Between God and Abraham, it was animals which had been halved, but it was unique in that God alone passed between the pieces. The covenant between God and man required the body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He 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 Him, but God is and always will be, the Blessed Controller of All Things!
It is impossible for us to fully understand 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. Thats reality! But His Word is true.
How does this apply to us? Probably many things—but certainly it teaches that we cannot work out our own salvation. There is absolutely no possible way that we can do enough good things or obey enough commands to be righteous in God’s sight. It is His work. 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 and 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. May we walk in confident expectation! Praise Him for His covenant of love!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
