“REAL LIVING!”

by | Apr 2, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals

Psalm 37:1-7

“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Let’s admit it—we often wish things were more in our favor. Someone buys a box of junk for $1.00 at a garage sale. Among other items in the box they discover a rather pretty piece of porcelain. A few months later they show the piece to an appraiser and discover that the piece is extremely rare and worth $100,000. We think to ourselves: “I was at that garage sale—why didn’t I purchase that old box? Nothing good ever happens to me!” Snivel! Snivel!

Psalm 37 is a wake-up call for us to see things in the proper perspective—eternity’s perspective. The things of this world are destined to pass away and we need to recognize that there is only one way to salvation—the blood of Jesus Christ.

There are many who are drawn to the new-age teachings of celebrities like Oprah, but that does not mean that these followers are prepared to meet the Lord. In Matthew 7:22-23 we are told: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “

I heard an illustration years ago about a little boy. (It reminds me of the way I was as a little boy). My problem as a little boy was that I could not stop talking. My mom said I sometimes drove her crazy. (I find that hard to believe since I am so quiet now. RIGHT!!) Any way, back to the illustration. This young boy was running around and creating such havoc, that his mother made him stop and sit on a foot stool for five minutes. She pushed him down and he shot up. She pushed back down and he stood up again.

After about three times, she told him if he stood up again, she would paddle his backside so hard he wouldn’t be able to sit down. He finally got the message and sat down with his arms folded. He looked up at her and said, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I am standing up on the inside!” Isn’t that a picture of our own rebellious nature?

In Psalm 37 we are given nine admonitions: DON’T FRET; TRUST; DWELL; DELIGHT; COMMIT; TRUST; BE STILL; WAIT PATIENTLY and once again, DON’T FRET. This is the pattern that we should set for ourselves in order to find real peace and contentment.

I want us to consider the first three for today: DON’T FRET! The first of the nine is: “Don’t fret!” It is at the beginning and the end of the list. Perhaps it is because it is so natural for us to fret. The essence of fret is to doubt the ability of God to take care of us. It can eat us alive and cause us to lose hope. The command is really quite simple—Stop fretting! If you find yourself fretting—stop!

TRUST! So how do we stop fretting?—“Trust!” We do not trust in ourselves, but in the Lord. He is the One who is able to deliver us and to direct our paths. Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Are you trusting in the Lord? TRUST in the trustworthiness of the Lord, knowing that He is the one who is able to protect and lead us.

DWELL! God does not deliver His children to leave them in the wilderness. At the time of the Exodus, it was not God’s plan for the people to wander in the desert for 40 years. They were intended to DWELL in the land of promise. So why didn’t they? They placed their confidence in their own ability rather than in the Lord.

God wants us to dwell in His love, protection and guidance. He wants us to wake each day with the eager expectation of serving His kingdom. That means living constantly in Him and for Him. Are you ready to change your old address to the street of promise? He will help you move! Our joy comes from the Lord and so we spend time with Him and never have to feel alone. When others leave us, we have Him always beside us.

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.

— Pastor Cecil

“ROSCOE!”

by | Apr 1, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals

Matthew 25:37-40

“Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You? Then the King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least one of these brothers of mine, you did for Me’ “

Saturday I conducted a funeral service for a 34-year-old developmentally disabled man named Erik. As I spoke with family and friends about what they remembered about Erick, a picture developed in my mind. He was a man who loved work. He enjoyed doing the best job possible and was always eager to do exactly as he was taught. In his childlike mind he trusted in the Lord with a simple faith.

It made me think of a little man I had known years ago. His name was Roscoe McPhee. I met Roscoe when I served as Pastor of Discipleship at First Church of the Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho. Roscoe found a welcoming home in our church and was always faithful in his attendance.

Roscoe was rather small, seldom spoke, but was able to communicate with signs and sounds. I felt drawn to spend time speaking in a friendly way to Roscoe. I soon discovered that he was starved for attention. There were several other developmentally disabled folks who attended our services, but Roscoe was one I felt drawn to work with. It was not a burdensome task, but a friendship I found very enjoyable.

It was not long after I started spending time to show Roscoe kindness and attention that he would make a beeline for me after the service and stand in front of me with a crooked smile on his face. He seemed to be waiting for me to banter with him. It struck me that this man, in his early forties, desired to be treated with as much normalcy as possible. I would gently joke with him and he loved it.

During these times, I think Roscoe taught me more than I taught him. He taught me that everyone has value and needs to be treated with dignity. He taught me that giving of oneself without consideration of return is of great merit. It was a time for me to learn that you can share with your life, the teachings of Jesus without words of intellect. It was caring and paying attention that mattered to Roscoe. I wish I could let him know what he meant to me.

I left that assignment and assumed the position as pastor of a church in Burns, Oregon. Later, when I returned for a visit and attended the services at First Church, Roscoe made a beeline for me with his special grin.

There was a little ritual that Roscoe and I developed. He loved to bowl. Each week when he went bowling with others from his group home, he would record the scores of his games in a tiny little black book. Each Sunday he would give me his black book and I would make exaggerated gestures over his scores. He would literally beam with delight as I made over his accomplishments.

One of the men in the church was a very godly and mature Christian. One Sunday Roscoe handed him his little black book, but instead of looking at the scores, John put the book in his pocket and started to walk off. It was a moment of panic for Roscoe who chased after him, making sounds of concern. John was embarrassed and felt so bad at his over-sight. He came and told me of the incident and said he thought it was a small copy of one of the Gospels.

That incident is so characteristic of how we can overlook or misread those around us with great needs. By the way, John immediately became a source of encouragement for Roscoe, giving praise each Sunday for the scores carefully recorded in that little black book.

There are people around us who have needs. They may not have the same needs as Roscoe, but they need attention, concern, and a hand that reaches out for the “little black book” in their lives and praise them for what they have done that past week. Thanks, Roscoe!

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing. 

— Pastor Cecil