by Pastor Cecil | Oct 3, 2008 | Acts
Acts 2:20-21
“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
“Are you praying?” That was the question I asked a man who had repeatedly used the phrase, “My God!”
He looked shocked and replied, “What do you mean?” I said “Well, you keep saying ‘My God’ and I wanted to know if you are calling on His name in prayer or taking His name in vain?”
As we continued the conversation he said that he was not even aware that he had used that statement. We had an extended conversation about how easy it is to establish a habit and not even being aware of it.
Calling upon the name of the Lord is a sacred thing. As we read today’s Scripture we see that it is by calling upon the name of the Lord that we are saved. To use the expression as an expletive constitutes profanity.
The third commandment, as found in Exodus 20, is to not take the name of the Lord in vain or misuse it in any manner. It goes on to say that the Lord will hold the offender guilty who profanes God’s name.
Using the expression “My God!” is wrong, and we need to stop the practice of doing so. In fact, we need to humbly bow before the Lord, confess it as a sin and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness.
Before we feel too spiritual, I want to drop another bomb. There are many Christians who would never use the expression, “My God!” but easily use a similar expression, “My Lord!”
Do you see the difference between the two? I don’t and I am sure that the Lord does not either. Using the Lord’s name in any manner that is not consistent with speaking to Him or calling out to Him is wrong. Stop it!
I pray that the Lord will convict us any time we misuse His name.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 2, 2008 | Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 10:12
“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
In the final days of World War II, US forces in the Pacific were pushing steadily toward the Japanese homeland. The final island in their path was Okinawa. While previous battles had been fierce and deadly, at Okinawa things took on a terrible complexion.
Hundreds of Japanese pilots entered their planes for a one way trip to meet the United States naval ships. Their sole aim was to fly their planes into the decks of the ships and by committing suicide, wreak massive damage or the destruction of the ships.
Following the Japanese surrender, captured news reels pictured rows of these young men as they stood at attention, drank their last glass of sake, and entered their planes for their suicide mission. Why would so many be so willing to sacrifice themselves? It was not simply going into combat with a chance of being killed, it was intentional suicide.
In our own generation, we have seen horrifying images of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon, and realize that there were young men on those planes who committed suicide in order to kill the maximum number of people.
Still more tragic are pictures of young children wearing explosive vests or belts and being taught that suicide for their god was what would bring the greatest joy to their mother and father. Why?
The answer lies in our understanding of the true nature of God as opposed to man’s self made gods. The gods of this world demand that those who worship them must die for them. In order to prove one’s sincerity and devotion it is required to punish oneself, experience pain and even prove their devotion to the point of dying by suicide.
How utterly heartbreaking, that gods of man’s own imagination become so demanding that the adherents must die in order to prove their devotion. Perhaps it is fear more than love which compels such sacrifice. From generation to generation, it is taught that suffering and death are the only ways to please these gods.
How is our worship of the one true God different than these gods? Our God, the maker of heaven and earth is the God who loved us so much that He died for us! What a contrast!
Our God has come in human flesh, suffered, bled and died in order that through Him we may have life. He died for us—rather than demanding that we die for Him. Our God has always desired the love and devotion of His people, not their suffering, pain and death.
What is it that our God desires of us? Moses gives us the answer here in Deuteronomy 10:12; “- – to fear the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” As I have mentioned before in connection with the use of the word fear, it is reverential fear, like awe and wonder rather than fear of punishment.
If God so loved us and sent His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins, should we not love Him in return and spend our efforts in praising and worshipping Him? What makes us different from other religions? The answer is that we serve the One True God. Our God gives Himself for us by His great love. What a mighty God we serve!!!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 1, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 34:17-20
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”
Have you ever lost a loved one? In the past I have shared with you about losing our daughter, but I feel led to do so again.
“Dad, are you sitting down?” Those words came across the phone lines from our oldest daughter, Brenda, some twenty years ago. I told her that I was. She said, “I am in the hospital with heart failure.”
The words struck with the force of a blow to my stomach. I told her that her mother and I would be there as soon as possible. It was over 500 miles from Shelton, Washington, to Boise, Idaho, and we made it in record time.
When we arrived, the prognosis was even worse than we had anticipated. Brenda was diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and the only way she could survive was to have both a heart and lung transplant. In the meantime she, like so many others, had to live with a broken heart.
I knew that as much as I wanted to fix my dear daughter’s condition, neither myself, her mom, nor the medical doctors could fix Brenda’s heart. She would live the remaining days of her life with a broken heart.
There are many people reading this who have a heart condition or have loved ones who are living with a heart defect. We know the tender care which must be exercised in living with a broken heart. It may require a change in the way we eat, the way we exercise and the medicines we take.
There is another aspect of having a broken heart—it is the attitude of heart before our God. It may be described as the opposite of pride and arrogance. It was a chief characteristic of our Lord when He walked the dusty roads of Israel. He, who was the One who had created all things, was now in submission to His Father. He lived with a broken heart.
How are we to emulate the attitude which Christ patterned? The most obvious answer is that we are to live with a broken heart. That does not mean that we are to develop a medical heart condition, but rather a spiritual one. It is not only okay to have a spiritually broken heart, it is essential in order to live in victory.
Our hearts need to be crushed and broken by the things which we see in our lives which are contrary to the will of God. In these instances we need to cry out to God and confess our sin in order for Him to forgive and cleanse. This very attitude should also be evidenced as we observe the sins of our nation and of the world.
If there was a single characteristic which described the prophets of the Old Testament, it was their godly sorrow for sin. They very clearly lived with a broken heart. Is it any wonder that the Lord was able to do such mighty works through them?
I think it is time for us to stop and evaluate our lives in view of eternity. More than being brokenhearted because of the loss of a loved one, we need to have our hearts crushed before the Lord. As we examine our lives may we pray with all sincerity: “Lord let me live before You with a broken heart!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
