by Pastor Cecil | Aug 22, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 119:33-37
“Teach me, O LORD, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your word.”
I once heard the story of a snooty woman of some wealth who had a small son. She wanted only the best for her son and always insisted on the finest of everything.
She hired a nanny for her son and insisted that he learn to have everything his heart desired. She told the nanny that her son was going to go through life as a wealthy man so he needed to be accustomed to having what he wanted.
The nanny was outside with her young charge when he began to scream at the top of his lungs. His mother flew out into the yard in a rage. “Didn’t I tell you to give my son anything he wanted?” demanded the mother!
“Yes madam,” replied the nanny. “I remembered well what you told me. He wanted to play with a bumblebee so I let him.”
As I read today’s Scripture I see an important truth. It is the secret to learning the truth from God’s Word. What is this amazing secret? It is being teachable. We cannot be taught until we are willing to be taught.
This passage is not asking God to MAKE us do something; rather it shows our submissive attitude toward the process of learning. It is the picture of an eager student who begs the teacher to instruct them.
A skilled musician may have great ability and the music they produce may sound exquisite to the untrained ear, but a professional knows that something is lacking. Even the greatest musician knows that it is important to return to their mentor for more training from time to time.
As we read the words of the Psalmist we might paraphrase it this way: Lord I come under Your authority. Teach me Your decrees. I open my mind for You to give me divine understanding. I will follow where You lead me and find joy in walking in the paths You set before me.
NOT MY WILL, LORD, BUT YOURS BE DONE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 21, 2008 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:30-31
“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Do you have purpose in your life? I certainly do! If for nothing else it is to put new batteries in watches, clocks and other such stuff that run on, AAA, AA, D, C or 9 volt types. Oops! How could I forget the dreaded watch batteries?!
Back in the day we did not have all of these different size batteries things ran on wind-up or plug-in. All the same, things always needed to have their power renewed on a regular basis to continue operating.
You know what is coming next don’t you… a spiritual application. I firmly believe that we should approach the most ordinary facets of our life in the same manner that we should approach Bible study: What does it say? What does it mean? How can I apply it to my life?
The first reality that comes to mind when I think of batteries going dead or springs winding down, is that there needs to be a constant renewing. Let me quote an explanation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics:
“The implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics are considerable. The universe is constantly losing usable energy and never gaining. We logically conclude the universe is not eternal. The universe had a finite beginning — the moment at which it was at “zero entropy” (its most ordered possible state). Like a wind-up clock, the universe is winding down, as if at one point it was fully wound up and has been winding down ever since. The question is who wound up the clock?”
What is true in the scientific world is also true in the spiritual world. Without a consistent renewal our of spiritual fervor we will begin to lose our power. What does that mean? It means that we will become shells of what we were meant to be.
God had intended for Israel to be a kingdom of priests to the whole world. The people were delivered from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. They saw miracle after miracle, but soon allowed their fervency for the Lord to wane.
God sent His prophets to recharge the nation’s batteries, but their hearts became dead to His call and they finally refused to acknowledge Him. Instead of proclaiming God to the nations of the world, they needed to be revived themselves.
I have worked with many Christians who started their walk with the Lord full of vim and vigor. They had the potential to be mighty servants of the Most High God, but lost their original power.
Jesus describes these Christians in Revelation 2:3-5; “You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
The Lord gives us the secret of being re-energized. “Repent and do the things you did at first.” We may think that there is nothing for us to repent of, but if we place anything between ourselves and the Lord, it will sap our spiritual strength and leave us dead and worthless. I pray that we may be renewed!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 20, 2008 | James
James 3:3-5
“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”
Late Sunday evening I stumbled on a program about American Airlines. I only watched for a few minutes, but since then I have been thinking about what was being presented.
A former astronaut had been hired by American Airlines to assist in reducing their costs of operations. This man began to analyze the effect of weight on the amount of fuel used by the planes. Reducing weight conserves fuel. It seems that instead of going to the heavier items he started with rather small things.
He interviewed the Flight attendants about how often the passengers seemed to read the company magazine that was placed in each seat pocket. They said the magazines were almost never read.
The magazines averaged about 50 pounds per plane. It seemed like such a tiny amount that it would not make a difference. Not so! Removing the magazines from all of the planes in the American Airlines fleet saved about $1 million dollars annually. That is a significant figure!
There were other items removed, but that was the one that stood out in my mind. It made me realize that many of the things in our life that seem small and petty can result in major consequences.
Let’s consider a small stretching of the truth. Okay, let’s be honest and call it a little lie. (Personally I do not think that there is any such thing as a “little” lie).
Let’s imagine that I oversleep and realize that I am going to be late for work. I call the office and make up an excuse that I have a flat tire and it is taking me longer to fix it because my spare tire is also flat. (That is more than a little lie, it is a bold faced lie—but I couldn’t think of another example).
Now imagine that a co-worker decides to come to my rescue. They have the same make and model vehicle as mine so they know their spare tire will fit. On the way to assist me they are involved in an accident that lands them in the hospital. Now how big is my “small” lie?
There are positive things that also seem small. We may say that we have a terrible memory and are unable to memorize Scripture. However we covenant to memorize and meditate on one verse each week.
Is that a small thing? At the end of the year we bow before the Lord and use the verses we have hidden in our heart to glorify His name. How many verses can we use? If my math and my calendar are correct, it will be 52. Isn’t that amazing!
What are the “SMALL” THINGS IN YOUR LIFE?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 19, 2008 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:11-12
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
Have you ever wondered about these so-called psychics who supposedly are able to foretell the future? I have often wondered, if they are so good at telling the future, why they are not able to profit from the stock market or other endeavors where foreknowledge would insure great gain.
Christians must stay far, far away from any sort of contact with the practice of divination or contacting the dead. Moses gave God’s command in Deuteronomy 18: 10-11; “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.”
What are we to do about the things that occur in our life that are impossible to understand—that we have no answers for? Is it possible for us to deal with loss and disappointment with confidence in the Lord?
I was listening to a Christian radio station Saturday and heard an old song that was sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I had not heard the song for years. It was the answer to how we are to deal with life’s unanswered questions. “Farther Along.”
Farther Along
Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonder,
why it should be thus all the day long;
while there are others living about us,
never molested, though in the wrong.
Refrain:
Farther along we’ll know more about it,
Farther along we’ll understand why;
Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,
We’ll understand it all by and by.
Sometimes I wonder why I must suffer,
go in the rain, the cold, and the snow,
when there are many living in comfort,
giving no heed to all I can do.
Tempted and tried, how often we
question why we must suffer year after year,
being accused by those of our loved ones,
e’en though we’ve walked in God’s holy fear.
Often when death has taken our loved ones,
leaving our home so lone and so drear,
then do we wonder why others prosper,
living so wicked year after year.
“Faithful till death,” saith our loving Master;
short is our time to labor and wait;
then will our toiling seem to be nothing,
when we shall pass the heavenly gate.
Soon we will see our dear, loving Savior,
Hear the last trumpet sound through the sky;
then we will meet those gone on before us,
then we shall know and understand why.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 18, 2008 | Proverbs
Proverbs 22:5-6
“In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them. Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
It happened again! Last Friday I was called upon to officiate at a graveside service for an eighty-three year old lady. If you have attended graveside services, you may recall that there are a limited number of chairs reserved for the immediate family members. On Friday there were only eight chairs.
The funeral director seated the husband of the deceased and invited family members to come and be seated in the other chairs. Immediately four of the great grandchildren (ages, eight to eleven) rushed forward and seated themselves.
The parents of these kids stood with smiles on their faces, while relatives, some with obvious physical limitation were left standing. It was one of those times when I wanted to preach a sermon on children showing respect for their elders.
I have no idea why parents have lost control of their children, but they have. If we look into God’s Word we see that it is not the responsibility of the children, but the parents to establish direction. (Sometimes children seem to act more adult than their parents).
Is the situation hopeless? I don’t think so, but it certainly requires that we face the issue directly. We need to start sharing the powerful Word of God concerning the subject. It is not what some behavioral scientist has conceived, but what God ordains that the relationship with the younger generation will be.
As we read verse six in today’s Scripture, we see where the responsibility for preparing the next generation rests: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
As we watch the coverage of the Olympic Games, we are impressed by the skill and ability of the various athletes. Remember that this is not something they do without hours of training. In the field of music we may be blown away by the artistry of a performer without considering the years and years of practice required to become a performer.
We cannot change an entire generation to show proper respect, but we can start by being an example ourselves and encouraging others to do the same.
When was the last time you went out of your way to show respect to a clerk in a checkout line? When was the last time you picked up your phone to call someone who had impacted your life to tell them how much you appreciated them?
Respect is taught by God’s Word, but it is patterned by our actions. What actions have you been patterning?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
– – – Pastor Cecil
