by Pastor Cecil | Dec 10, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
1 John 3:18-19
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence.”
Yesterday I conducted a committal service for a decorated navy veteran. The service was at a National Cemetery a little over an hour from our home. I asked my dear wife to ride with me and keep me company.
It was a lovely day and when we arrived at the shelter where the ceremony was to take place, I was directed to park at just the right location for Joyce to observe the service from the car.
The military members marched forward carrying the folded flag. The rifle detail fired three salvos, the flag was unfurled and as the military members saluted, a bugler played out the somber notes of the taps.
It was inspiring to have four military personnel standing at parade rest while I recited Scripture and made spiritual application about the reality of eternity. The military concluded their portion of the service by presenting the flag to the widow, and then marched behind a wall.
As Joyce and I drove away, she reflected on what she had seen from her vantage point. The military detail had been so polished and regimented during the ceremony, but after they went behind the wall, a change took place. She watched as the stiff formality dissolved into casual laughter and gestures of relief.
Before we say anything about these brave, young service personnel, let us stop and consider our spiritual behavior. How many times have we put on a facade of piousness that was not exactly true? If we face ourselves in God’s mirror of truth—the Bible—what would we see?
If ever there were a time for authentic Christianity, it is now! We need men and women who will quit putting on a spiritual show and begin living as authentic believers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are people looking at the way we live—not just when we are in church, but every single day of the week. There are no time outs when it comes to serving Jesus. We should be the same “behind the wall” as we are when we’re called upon to minister. On stage or off stage—we need to be real soldiers of the cross! As the title of this Daily-E-Votional asks; “WHO ARE YOU?”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 9, 2008 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
I once read of a laboratory experiment that was designed to test a person’s ability to tolerate pain. The test subject had his or her hand fitted into a device which produced heat. The hand could not be easily removed, and only the signal button in the free hand could be used to alert the tester to stop the heat. The tester knew how much heat could be applied without causing damage, and the object was designed to show the level of toleration of the pain created by the heat.
When the test subject pressed the button to reduce the heat, the tester ignored the signal and the heat continued to increase. The test continued until the subject cried out in pain or attempted to free the hand from the heat. The test results were interesting —they showed that the tolerance to pain was almost always about twice what the test subjects felt they could tolerate.
When I heard about this experiment I wondered what would prompt scientists to perform such seemingly cruel tests. I am sure it had something to do with providing pain blockers of some kind, but it also caused me to ponder. I guess I am still pondering—”How much is too much?”
When Paul was writing these words in his second letter to the church at Corinth, he mentions “light and momentary troubles.” Right! Go back a few verses and see what these light and momentary troubles were. In verses 8-9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Isn’t it amazing that he calls these just light and momentary troubles?
How in the world could Paul take such a view of the trials he had endured? In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27, he mentions his many beatings, lashes, stoning, shipwrecks and the like. Wow! Those are the very things he calls light and momentary?
In comparison, what are our big complaints? We certainly may be encountering trials and troubles, but it is nothing by comparison. We have become such whimpering babies about living out our faith that it is no wonder the world does not see Christ in us.
Here is the bottom line—while we may encounter stress in many forms and in varying degrees, it is easy to get our eyes focused on the stress. When our attention becomes preoccupied by stresses, we have a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That is why some people seem to go from one stressful situation to another.
It is essential that we look beyond the stress and see that a blessing is waiting for the believer. It is not wise to seek after the blessing that is ours as an inheritance from the Lord Himself when we become the children of God through the new birth. Rather than seeking blessings, we are to look only to Jesus and constantly seek to please Him in all we do. We may be stressed, but at the same time we must remember that we are also blessed.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 8, 2008 | Luke
Luke 12:18-20
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'”
Once upon a time there was a young couple who were on fire for the Lord. They read their Bible, prayed, attended church and even were a part of a couple’s Bible study group.
They visited friends who had larger homes with many up-graded features. The more they visited these homes, the more discontented they were with their own home. They began searching for a new home that would be just right for them. They spent days—even weeks trying to find just the right house in their price range and with all of the features they desired.
The husband was full of emotion as he gazed around his new home and proudly proclaimed to his wife: “This just what we have been looking for! We will live in this house forever!”
Over the following months, the house grew more important than just about anything in their life. They stopped their prayer life, Bible study and church attendance. Conflicts erupted between them and their marriage suffered.
What was the cause of it all? Was it the house? The answer is to be found in today’s Scripture. The man in Jesus’ parable was focused on the things of this world as if they would last forever—they don’t!
What a tragedy that some people spend their entire life striving for things that are temporary and have little or no eternal value. The chorus in an old hymn gives us the proper perspective on what is temporal and what is eternal: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 5, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 42:1-4
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.”
I think almost everyone has experienced times of great thirst. On a blistering hot day nothing tastes better than a glass of cool water. I do not intend to focus on our physical thirst, but on our spiritually parched throats.
Hunger is a need that may be suppressed for many days without harm. Fasting in fact has been shown to have positive aspects and is thought to be beneficial to the body. Thirst, on the other hand is something which cannot be ignored. The dehydration of the body can quickly lead to death, as we have seen the tragic reality of in recent years with the deaths of athletes who exerted themselves in hot temperatures.
What about the spiritual dehydration of believers? Let’s try to imagine what that looks like, and to see if you may be suffering from the ailment. David speaks in today’s Scripture about the days when he led the procession into the house of God. Now, while we may have fellowship with the Lord wherever we are, the assembly with the people of God is special. Notice that David refers to the “multitude” who went to worship.
The idea of a multitude may range from a group of twelve or of twelve thousand. The importance is not in the number, but in the desire of the multitude to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
One of the symptoms of spiritual dehydration is prolonged absence from assembling in the house of the Lord. It leads to isolation and vulnerability to the temptations of the flesh.
Another symptom of spiritual dehydration is not spending time with God in personal communion. That means praying with the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit and reading His Word to hear Him speak to us. Is that a choking sound I hear? How long has it been since you and God met for a visit?
We are all cut from the same cloth. We are like the deer that is pursued by the predator and finds that we are ready to collapse. It is time for a drink from the springs of living water.
David wrote in Psalm 23 that the Shepherd of our soul leads us beside quiet waters. It is by the quiet waters that it is safe to drink. By rushing rapids or swirling pools, there are dangers. But when we are led by Him, we need not fear, and our thirst will be satisfied.
I feel better already! This is the answer to a spiritually parched throat! Time spent with God and time with God’s people!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 4, 2008 | 2 Kings
2 Kings 6:15-17
“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh, my lord, what shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
Several years ago I received a gift from a man in the community. Neither he nor his wife had ever attended our church, so it was an unexpected surprise. The gift was a small black plaque with white wood figures on it. As I looked at it for a time I discovered the name Jesus. It had been there all the time—but hidden from view.
Since that day I have wondered about what other things are around me that I have not seen. In reading today’s Scripture I am blown away by the prophet, Elisha. He must have seen things that were hidden to others. Why did he see the Lord’s army when others could not see it? To me the answer is walking close to the Lord and having eyes to see what is ordinarily invisible.
I strongly encourage you to read 2 Kings 6:8-23. It is a most encouraging passage of Scripture. When you feel like the enemy has you surrounded and is moving in for the kill—God’s army is present and is stronger than Satan’s forces.
As I meditate on this matter of increasing our spiritual vision, I am reminded of that old hymn written by Charles and Clara Scott, “Open My Eyes That I May See.”
“Open my eyes that I may see—
glimpses of truth You have for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key—
that shall un-lock and set me free.
Silently now I wait for You—
ready, my God, Your will to do;
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!”
We must realize that there is a battle for the souls of men and women around the world. Jesus has won the battle and provided the payment for our sins—His own dear blood that was shed on Calvary. It is a gift just waiting for all who will to accept His offer of deliverance.
You may be like the servant of Elisha who saw only the massed forces of the enemy, which causes you to feel fearful and defeated. Lift up your eyes, dear heart—there is a mighty heavenly host waiting for your eyes to open and see that the battle is the Lord’s. Open your eyes!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
