by Pastor Cecil | Mar 31, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
John 12:23-26
“Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me.’ “
A neighbor, who lives two houses down from us, has a most unique bush. We call it the “Dead Bush.” It is quite a large bush, standing about ten feet high and about seven feet across. We moved into our house three years ago in May. At that time we noticed that it looked pretty shaggy, but after a few weeks it was green and lush.
It is an unusual bush in that it does not drop its leaves as other deciduous trees do. The leaves just turn brown and dead looking. The following Spring, we wondered why the neighbors did not cut down that dead bush. I happened to pass by when the owner was talking and laughing with some others from the neighborhood.
She said that she has no idea what the bush is called, but it is always that last bush to turn green and usually not until late in May. Each year a few people, new to the area, stop by and complain about the dead bush and wonder why it has not been cut down.
Perhaps we can draw a parallel between Jesus and that dead bush. Our dear Lord did not come into the world to appear lovely, but to die for our sins. Isaiah 53 is a powerful prophecy about what the coming Messiah, Jesus, would be. In verses two and three we read this prophetic description of Him: “He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.”
On Friday evening NBC Dateline chronicled the remarkable story of twisted identity. In May 2006, a van from Taylor University in Indiana, was carrying nine students back to the campus. A truck crossed the median and struck them, killing five of the students. One surviving girl was misidentified as another girl who had been killed.
Both girls had similar appearances. One family stayed by the bedside of the girl they were told was their daughter. The other grief-stricken family had a funeral and laid to rest the body of the one they were told was their daughter. Both families faced great turmoil in dealing with the tragedy.
Finally the truth was discovered and the role of each family was reversed. The family that had been grieving over the death of their daughter now had her restored to them as she struggled for her mental faculties to return. The family that had been at her bedside for these weeks now were struck with the reality that their own dear daughter had gone to be with the Lord at the time of the crash.
Toward the end of the program, Matt Laur, the TV reporter was interviewing the survivor, Whitney Cerak. He made comment about a plaque Whitney had on her wall. It was what she hoped to hear when she left this world and went to be with the Lord. “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT!”
Matt asked her if she ever wondered why she had survived while the others died. Whitney smiled and quietly said, “It’s because my work here on earth is not done.” Well said, Whitney! I pray that each one of us will strive to achieve that same attitude. We may look like nothing but a dead bush, but the Lord gives us life at just the right time!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 28, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 139:1-6
“O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in-behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”
The Book of Psalms has a very special place in my heart. This is especially the case since the evening of July 11, 1991. Our daughter, Brenda Joy, was very near death. I sat at her bedside with an open Bible. I read to her Psalm after Psalm. She was in and out of consciousness. Each time her eyes flickered open, she said: “Oh, I like that one. Please read another Psalm, Dad.” Of course I did, even though my heart was being crushed as I watched my precious daughter come closer and closer to the end of this life.
I read Psalm 23, then continued with 37, 103 and 139. These four Psalms still captivate me. Each of the four, in it’s own special way, tells of God’s special concern and protection for us. Each has a section or sections which tell of our responsibility and other sections which give us the promise of God in reaction to our obedience.
As I write this, I am 74 years of age. It seems impossible, since I still think of myself as just a young lad in so many ways. All of the hopes and dreams are still there, and it seems impossible that life has moved as quickly as it has. I think that has positive benefits as well as the obviously negative ones. It means that I am constantly learning, searching and trying to grow in spiritual wisdom. I want to just share what I feel in regard to this powerful Psalm that never ceases to amaze me.
The first thing or things that I notice are the actions of the Lord. I am going to use a little of my own paraphrasing. Here is what I see the Lord doing: He Searches us; He knows us; He perceives our thoughts; He discerns our activities; He is familiar with all of our ways; He knows what we are going to say before we speak; He has laid his hand upon us.
Spend a little time meditating about all that this means to us. There is nothing that we can hide from God! It is possible to fool those around us, even those who are closest to us, but we can never fool God. We might not know what we are going to say before we speak, but God knows exactly what we are going to say. We might think we are getting away with the places we go and the things we do, but remember that God is aware of all of our actions.
We are living in a day of unbelievable technology. I marvel at our ability to use Google Earth and be able to view virtually any place on earth orbiting space vehicles pointed back toward earth. Most of the time they use a wide angle lens that shows a wide panorama of the earth. At times, however, the camera is able to focus in and it shows much greater detail. I have even been able to identify a bird bath in our side yard from hundreds of miles in space.
The term, “big brother”, has been used in connection with governmental agencies as they engage in surveillance. We need to know that the Lord knows us more intimately than any spy organization ever could. But in spite of knowing all about us, the Lord places His hand upon us. He is always there to guide us—to let us feel that we are not alone—to reveal His great salvation that is by grace, through faith in Him alone.
This reality of the nature of God is not to make us feel that He is there as a threat, but as the Mighty God, who knows what we are like, inside and out, loves us enough to send His One and Only Son to die on the cross for us. It is a thought provoking image of Him on the cross – looking across the centuries knowing every thought and feeling we
possess and loving us to death—His death—but rising from the grave in order that we might be raised with Him. Praise God for His great love!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 27, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
A pastor stepped into the sanctuary and heard a woman wailing out tones that would almost peel the paint off the wall. She paused and looked at the pastor with a broad smile. She asked: “Pastor, do you like good music?” Without thinking he responded: “Yes, as a matter of fact I do; but you go right on singing anyway!”
I can relate to that joke since I lack musical ability, but I do love music. There is a song that is a favorite of mine: “I Heard Footsteps Standing in the Shadows and a Hand Reaching Out to Tell Me He Was There.” As I listen to this song I am aware of the reality that the Lord is always with His children.
Across the years I have experienced many stressful situations only to look back and realize that the Lord was there all the time. Not only was He there, but He had permitted me to be there in order to be His servant. In 1991, our daughter was in the critical care unit at the University of Washington. One evening our daughter’s nurse, who knew that I was a minister, asked if I could speak to the woman in the next room.
As I entered I found her sobbing uncontrollably. She had been airlifted to the hospital from Alaska and had no one near her during this critical time in her life. I was able to speak to her about the Lord and how He never leaves us alone, but is always there beside us. As I prayed with her I felt the presence of the Lord standing in the shadows.
When our granddaughter was a sophomore in college, she called one night to say she had a doctor’s appointment here in Olympia. Joyce and I jumped at the chance to meet her for lunch. I decided to go into the doctor’s office to see if she had arrived. She was there and was still waiting to see the doctor.
We sat and visited for a few minutes. Without thinking about it, I took some money out of my pocket and gave it to her. She acted like I had struck her. “Papa”, she said, “When I left Kirkland, I only had a dollar bill in my billfold. I prayed and said ‘Lord, You are going to need to take care of me.’ Now you give me this money!” Folks, once again, I heard the sound of footsteps standing in the shadows!
Years ago there was a beloved evangelist who was lovingly known as Uncle Bud Robinson. He traveled all over the country preaching with a voice that stuttered and stammered, but he powerfully proclaimed the Word of God. I recall a story that Uncle Bud told about sitting down to eat at someone’s house. It was a custom in that home to wash the dishes then put them back on the table upside down, silverware in place and then cover it with a tablecloth. When he turned his plate over, there was a $20 bill.
He was overjoyed, but it seemed as if the Lord told him to just carry it with him until he was told to deliver it. Some time later he was conducting a service in Detroit, Michigan. During the day it seemed as if the Lord told him that he would be delivering the money that evening. He watched, waited, then watched and waited some more. Finally all had gone except Uncle Bud and the pastor.
The pastor started turning off the lights and the two of them started for the door. Just then a young woman came in through the doors. She was the organist who had played for the full week of meetings. She said she had come back because she had forgotten her sweater. In his spirit, Uncle Bud knew she was the one. He said, “S-s-s-sister, I i-i-i-think you n-n-n-need something else.”
When he gave her the money she began to sob with joy and relief. She shared with the two men that she only had enough money to pay for the bus fare to get to the service that night and had planned to walk home over 5 miles away through a bad part of town. When I read that story I heard footsteps walking in the shadows.
I just want to share with all of you that my greatest desire is to be one who will carry what God gives me to carry, and deliver it to the one or ones He directs me to. I want to hear footsteps standing in the shadows and a hand reaching out to tell me He is there!
My prayer is that one of these Daily E-Votionals will contain a message you need to hear for that particular time in your life. I urge you to seek the face of God and sense Him in the shadows of your life. He cares for you, and you are never alone. He really is there, standing in the shadows of your life!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 26, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 141:3-4
“Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evil doers; let me not eat of their delicacies.”
I recall hearing the story of a traveling evangelist who was holding a meeting in a church he had never visited before. He had never met the pastor of the church until just before the opening service. As they sat together singing one of the hymns of the church, the evangelist saw a very ugly woman in the third row. He leaned over to the pastor and asked; “Who is that ugly woman in the third row?” The pastor replied, “That, sir is my wife.” Trying to recover from this sticky situation, the evangelist said, “No, pastor, not her, the one sitting next to her.” The pastor looked back with a scowl and said, “That, sir is my daughter!” Have you ever had days like that? What can you say after the words have done their damage?
I am sure that I have shared with you about the Judge I worked for as a county Probation Officer, back in the 1950’s, when I was working on my college degree. He was a page out of history—a bow tie, white hair and a wit that kept attorneys always on their toes. His name was Ben Riordan, and he taught me so many practical things about life that I recall them even to this day.
He was very much aware of the dangers and evils of the tongue. I am sure he didn’t invent the phrase (well, perhaps he did invent it): “You can remain silent and look stupid, or you can open your mouth and remove all doubt.” He did come up with this phrase: “That fellow is so foolish, that when he speaks, he subtracts from the sum total of human intelligence.” I counted it one of my greatest honors to be able to go into his chambers during the recess of court cases and hear his wisdom and understanding of the law and of human nature. His memory lives in my heart!
One of the classes I took in college was debate. We learned how to make cases, establish proofs and to refute the opposition in their arguments. Our College Debate Squad was made up of four, two person teams. There were two of us, myself and Orville Hailey, who were married and working full-time, while also attending college classes. We had a big match with a neighboring college. The teams were ranked by their coaches from 1-4 with the best being number one and Orville and I being number four. Get the picture? Each team had to argue one debate on the negative side and one on the positive side.
Our first debate pitted Orville and I against the number four team from the other school, in which we argued on the positive side. To our surprise we won! But then our second match was against their number one team and we knew we were in for trouble. We scoffed at their arguments and drew them into arguments that caused them to defeat themselves. We used very few of our own arguments, but turned their words back on them. We won again!!
It was eight or nine years after the debate and I was employed by the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission. I was interviewing an attorney to possibly work for us. As I looked at his credentials, I saw that he had graduated from the school we had debated. I asked if he had been on the debate team. He suddenly recognized the rascal who had won the debate! We laughed, and became dear friends after he came to work for us.
During a terrible, depressing time in his life when he shut out everyone for quite awhile, I was the only one he would talk with. I can still recall driving him around for several hours. We were both very silent. It was more of a time for presence than for words. He slouched down in an attitude of despair. The few words that I spoke were words the Lord had sifted, and they were not my words but His. They were words of healing.
I am happy to report that he made it through that dark period of his life. That was over thirty years ago. Not long ago we spoke on the phone and I found that, with the Lord’s help, his life has been restored. The tongue is a terrible weapon. It is the revealer of the heart and those hidden motives that lurk out of the sight of others. In a previous chapter, Psalm 139:4, we read: “Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.” It is understood then why the Psalmist is here asking the Lord to set a watch over his tongue. We say things so quickly and after we try to take the words back, the damage has already been done.
There is a point I want to make in all of this relating of personal experiences. It relates to our Scripture for today. I feel that the Psalmist uttered his prayer for the Lord to set a guard on his mouth early in the morning to guide him through the day. It was a commitment on his part and it needs to be a commitment on our part to allow the Lord to sift those thought process that lead to speech and allow us to speak words that will build up and encourage, rather than tear down.
We all need to discover that we can be God’s instruments by learning to speak words of peace, joy, love and encouragement.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 25, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 119:11-16
“I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Praise be to You, O LORD; teach me Your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth. I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your Word.”
One of the most precious possessions that our dear daughter left behind when she died in 1991, was her marked up Bible. She had notes and underlined passages which indicated that she had spent countless hours reading and studying it. It was a joy to pass it on to our granddaughter as a memory of her mother.
I hate to admit it, but I usually sneak a look at the Bibles people carry. You know that when a Bible is new it has a gold or silver finish on the edges. Try as you might there is only one way to keep those edges pristine—seldom open it. If you use it for any time at all, it will lose its gleam and have the beautiful look of a loved possession.
Over the years I have been thrilled to hear the testimonies from some of the Gideon Bible meetings. People have come to the Lord by reading a Bible, perhaps placed in a hotel room or another location. God’s Word is truly the power of God that leads to salvation.
My dear brother-in-the-Lord, Kenny McClinton, was a violent man and a leader of a violent political group. He was confined to prison and even there created such havoc that he was remanded to solitary confinement over fifteen times. During his times in solitary confinement in the punishment cells – the floor was black, the walls stark white, the cell bare, and a neon light burned continuously – there was absolutely no means of mental stimulation, so to relieve his utter boredom, Kenny decided to start reading the rather decrepit looking prison issue of the King James Version of the Bible. Here are Kenny’s own words about what happened:
“I found I quite enjoyed all the stories in the early chapters of the Bible. I could closely relate to the whole tribal attitudes and nomadic experiences; the wars; the plots; the political intrigue. I could understand King David’s skullduggery when he arranged for a man to be killed, after sleeping with his wife and making her pregnant.” (2 Samuel 11:) “I could understand the mighty Samson as he fought the Philistine oppressors and eventually pulled down the Dagon Temple upon them, killing thousands of his enemies. That’s what I wanted to do with mine!”
As the months passed in solitary confinement on the Loyalist Blanket Protest, Kenny reached the New Testament in his Bible readings and there in those priceless pages of God’s Word, he experienced the great love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and “…things were never quite the same after that…”
Describing his experience he said:
“What could not be achieved by prison bars, batons, concrete and solitary confinement, was quickly achieved by the matchless love of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was nobody to talk at length with me about God; nobody to fully explain the way to become a Christian – no books, no tracts, no strains of ‘Oh Lamb of God I come’ during a Gospel Mission. There was only my black burden of sin and guilt and shame – and that old black book of books, the Bible.”
Looking back, Kenny remembers his first realization that he was a “…filthy, Hell-deserving sinner…”, but the Bible pointed him to the righteous Jesus Christ who had suffered and died and rose again from the dead in order to offer sinners His forgiveness. (Matthew 11:28-30)
As he read on, he became aware of a tremendous Spiritual battle that was going on for his soul between Satan and the Lord God. On August 12th, 1979, he recalls falling down on his knees in cell 9, H Block 6 of the Maze Prison. He cried out to God in repentance – asked for forgiveness and faith to believe and be saved – and, praise God, he trusted in Christ Jesus and he was saved! (Psalm 51) (Luke 19:10)
He had read that one of the conditions of becoming a true Christian was an open, public, confession with his mouth, as well as a genuine belief in his heart. (Romans 10:9)
Therefore, after rising from his knees in that solitary cell, he called for a ‘meeting’ in the usual manner. All the Loyalist Blanket Protesters came up to their cell doors to hear what he had to say; expecting some political poem or some morale booster. Instead, he announced,
‘Today I have taken the most important step of my life. I have renounced violence. I have repented of my sins. I have asked Jesus Christ into my life, and to save me – and I believe He has saved me. From this day forth I cease to be a Military Commander of the U.F.F. and wish only to be a mere volunteer in the army of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will seek to serve Him to the best of my ability. I just wanted you men to know this.’ “
Today I count Kenny as a dear friend and spiritual brother. At the present time he is on a mission trip to India. I have prayed for him to have boldness as he proclaims the message of salvation to those who are lost. It is all because God’s Word lives in his heart.
I want to live in God’s Word until God’s Word is living in me! Where is God’s Word in your life?
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
