by Pastor Cecil | Oct 24, 2008 | Proverbs
Proverbs 31:10-12
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”
I would like to tell you about my wife, Joyce. I need to do this frequently since she is a woman with a quiet spirit and never draws attention to herself. Over the fifty-six years we have been married, I have come to stand in awe of this lovely lady.
Joyce is quiet and discerning. She has never tried to be “Mrs. Pastor,” but instead she is my strongest supporter. By nature and gifting I am outgoing and always trying to lift people up by sharing spiritual truth.
Joyce “feels” when people are going through a stressful time in their life. It is typical for her to return from church and comment that someone is having some type of struggle. When I ask if they said something, she responds, “No, but I can just sense it.” Most of the time, it will come to light that she was correct.
A few days ago we received notice that a six month bond was maturing and that, if we did not notify, them it would be renewed for six more months. Out of the blue, Joyce said the Lord had impressed on her that we needed to have $2,000 moved into the checking account. She was so certain that I took the action that very morning.
The next day I spoke to one of our members who had a medical emergency. She tearfully said that she and her husband did not have the money to pay for the necessary surgery. Guess how much was needed? Right! $2,000!
There have been many times in the past when she mailed a card of encouragement to someone the Lord laid on her heart. Those who received the cards commented that the timing was perfect and met a need in their life at that specific moment.
Why do I write these things about my dear wife? Yes, it is to let her know that I appreciate her, but it is also to show that each of us can have a ministry that is tailor made for us. We do not need to fill a pulpit in order to minister. We can minister with cards, visits, phone calls, kind deeds or any number of things.
The important thing for each of us to understand is that when we ask God to show us ways we can serve Him, He will do it. Many are hurting right now for someone who will show God’s love to them—will you be that one?!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 23, 2008 | Mark
Mark 9:50
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
I once heard a preacher use a wonderful illustration. He said something like this: “While it is true that you can lead a horse to water you can’t make him drink, but you can salt his oats!” I cannot begin to tell you the number of times I have thought of that illustration since I first heard it.
Some of us in Christian ministry wear ourselves out trying to force people to drink when they show no inclination and, in fact, refuse to drink. We heap on guilt or glitter but there are still no slurping sounds.
What is the answer? SALT THE OATS! Right! How do we do that? It is a good question and deserves careful consideration.
Salt is very valuable and has been used across the centuries for many uses. It was used to preserve food, season foods and for its medicinal qualities. In Roman times the soldiers were paid in salt. That is where the word salary came from. When you hear the expression, “He’s not worth his salt” it refers to the payment in salt that was received.
With that bit of information in mind, in what way can we become salty Christians? I have two unrelated word pictures that may be of assistance. Have you ever been in a room full of people and acted like you were yawning? Do you know what happens? Others start yawning themselves. Perhaps you could say that you salted the yawn reflex.
The second word picture is encouraging youngsters to eat by eating with great relish ourselves. “Hmmmm! That is so good! I’m going to eat some more, do you want to try some too?” I want to tell you it works better than saying, “Eat your veggies! There are starving children in the world who would love them!” Our kids used to reply, “Please send my veggies to them.”
In today’s Scripture, Jesus says that we are to have salt in us. I take that to mean that we are to be so full of Him that we are salt to those around us. In Colossians 4:6, Paul admonishes; “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
There is no way we can live indifferent Christian lives and be salt and light to those around us. If we do that, we have lost our saltiness and are no longer possess the appeal that will draw others to walk close to Christ.
Are you salting the oats of those you come in contact with? Are you creating such a desire that people must drink from God’s well that never will run dry? Spend time in God’s Word and see the thrill that will make you want more and more of Him.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 22, 2008 | 1 John
I John 4:7-9
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”
I have a picture of my dad, taken in 1950, standing with five of his brothers in front of a couple of 40’s era cars. As I looked at it I felt a longing to see my Dad once more and tell him how much I love him. This man with only an eighth grade education had wisdom which cannot be taught in schools. But beyond that, he was a man who was filled with love for others.
Dad taught me what it was to know the Lord. He did that in many ways, not all of them pleasant. I can vividly remember that in the second drawer of his chest of drawers, he had an old fashioned razor strap. They were created to sharpen the old straight razors which were used by men back in the early days. They may have been designed to sharpen the razors, but they were objects of terror to the behinds of young boys!
For those of you who are too young or innocent to know about these straps, they were designed with two pieces—one was leather, and the other canvas. They were held together with a metal clasp at one end. While I am unclear just how they were used to keep a sharp edge on a razor, it had only one use in our house: Dad freely applied it to my seat of understanding. When the leather and canvas smacked together during the spanking, it made a sound like a rifle shot. It took a very short time before I was promising never, ever, in no way, whatever, etc., to misbehave again. (Sad to say, I did!)
Looking back on these episodes of discipline, I know it hurt Dad as much as it hurt me, but in a different way. He was doing it for love and to direct my steps. When I became a teen, I loved and respected my Dad. I can recall confronting another boy who called my Dad, “your old man.” He learned quickly that my Dad deserved and received my love and respect.
Across the years, since receiving the Lord as my personal Savior, I have grown in my love with Him. There have been times when I felt His hand of discipline, but I always knew that it was for my own good. I also have come to realize that when the Lord has had to discipline me, it hurts Him more than it does me. He only brings about the discipline because of His great love and concern for me.
Fredrick Whitfield must have felt that same way when he wrote the words to the hymn, “O, How I love Jesus.” As we read the words we feel the love and longing to see Jesus face to face:
1. There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth; it sounds like music to my ear, the sweetest name on earth.
2. It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free; It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea.
3. It tells of one whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe. Who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below.
Chorus: O, how I love Jesus, O, how I love Jesus, O, how I love Jesus–Because He first loved me!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 21, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 86:1-7
“Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long. Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me.”
You may have a handle on prayer, but I certainly do not. I am convinced that what little I seem to know about prayer is based upon what I have heard others pray in my presence, and I fail to see a description of that type of praying in Scripture.
Most generally we gather for our prayer meetings with want lists of the answers we seek from the Lord. At times it even progresses beyond that as some even seem to have the audacity to begin to tell God what He is to do. HELP!! May the Lord forgive our impudence and self-centeredness.
In the pattern of prayer I see in Scripture, a different approach to prayer is given. It is far superior than the long, flowery prayers that we often pray or hear others pray.
I thought it would be interesting to dissect this prayer of David which we see in today’s Scripture. You may recall your biology class in high school when you had to dissect a frog to see the inner parts. Please don’t squirm on me! It will not smell of formaldehyde—but I hope it will be even more productive.
DAVID’S REQUESTS:
As I read through these seven verses, I see at least seven requests: (1) “Hear and answer me.” (2) “Guard my life.” (3) “Save Your servant.” (4) “Have mercy on me.” (5) “Bring joy to your servant.” (6) “Hear my prayer.” (7) “Listen to my cry for mercy.”
As I read over these seven requests, I notice how they are directed at himself. I have heard some people say that such prayers as these are selfish. That is not the case. David was expressing his personal bankrupt condition and that it was only the Lord who could help.
Not only is it unselfish praying, it is an acknowledgement of personal inadequacy. It is nothing like the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke 18:11. That man boasted of his condition. David opened his heart and exposed his need. It is only beginning. Look at his personal condition.
David uses five terms to describe his condition: (1) “I am Poor and needy.” (2) “I am devoted to You.” (3) “I trust You.” (4) “I call on You all day long.” (5) “To You I lift up my soul.”
Such openness and honesty brings the one who is praying into the presence of Almighty God as a small child who is totally reliant upon his Father to take him by the hand and care for him. YES!
There are three statements that David uses to acknowledge the qualities which God possesses: (1) “You are my God.” (2) “You are forgiving and good.” (3) “You are abounding in love to all who call to You.”
Much more could be said about the loving God we serve, but David has hit the core qualities which give him the confidence to call upon the name of the Lord. Here is the way David concludes his prayer: “In the day of my trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me.” What assurance and total confidence. In all of our faults and shortcomings, we know that when we call to the Lord, he will hear us and answer in His own way.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 20, 2008 | 2 Samuel
2 Samuel 24:10
“David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.'”
Do you remember the story of Gideon, whom God raised up to deliver Israel from the hand of a mighty army of Midianites and Amalekites? God called Gideon to lead Israel into battle against this mighty army. He could only muster 32,000 men.
What could so few do against so many? But God is not, nor has He ever been interested in numbers. He had Gideon whittle the number down to only 300 men of Israel to defeat that mighty army. Why did God want only a few? The answer is found in Judges 7:2; “The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength has saved her.’”
As a young man David had confronted Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones. It only took one of those stones to drop the giant! When we follow close to the Lord and rely on His strength, we will see our own giants fall.
So why are numbers so important to so many? Why do we exert so much effort to achieve numerical gain? Pride! Our desire to have more or to be better in some way is repulsive to the Lord.
In today’s Scripture we read of David’s repentance for requiring a census of the number of fighting men. Why David wanted to do this is known only to him and God. He was an old man and his fighting days were over.
Regardless of the reason for the census, it was terribly displeasing to the Lord. In fact it was so displeasing that judgment fell on David and his people. As a result of David’s prideful sin, 70,000 people died from a plague. The wages of sin is always death.
I must confess that I have been guilty of counting numbers. The Lord has convicted me of the sin of using numbers to show accomplishment. It is such a common practice that I was not even realizing how wicked it was.
We disguise the counting of numbers (people, contacts, giving, etc.) as proof that God is blessing us more than others. Did I just say that? Yes, I certainly did. We need to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord that much of work is not to defeat Satan, but to have a larger spiritual footprint than other churches or ministries. That is so repugnant that I even hate to write it.
I am making a covenant with the Lord from this moment forward. I will work with all my might to draw the lost to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I will give of myself to make disciples of everyone I can. Yet I will live and die by this total commitment: “Even though I walk alone in obedience to the Lord—I am determined to follow Christ until He calls me home.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
