by Pastor Cecil | Jun 30, 2009 | Romans
Romans 8:18-19
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.”
Do we really understand what it means to suffer for our faith? Someone smirks at us when we bow our heads to thank God for our food and we feel we are being persecuted. We may even brag at our Bible study group about our courage in the face of these “vicious” attacks. (Oh, give me a break!)
I am in the process of reading a book on the lives of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Perhaps you are already aware that all of the disciples of Jesus, except John, died as martyrs. John was tortured by being dipped in hot oil but survived. What kind of persecution have you endured lately?
Archaeologists have unearthed death chambers under St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The most hideous was the place where Peter was reported to have been held chained to a post for nine months.
The Roman emperor, Nero had expected him to die in this place of total dark and disease. Virtually everyone who had been placed in this chamber died from disease or starvation. Peter was taken out of the pit and crucified upside down.
So what happened during those nine months of dark and suffering? God’s glorious light shone through in the most magnificent way. History tells us the amazing fact that in spite of all the torture, Peter led his jailers, keepers and forty-seven others to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
I hang my head in shame for the times I have complained. May God forgive me.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 29, 2009 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
There are a lot of hurting people out there! By “out there” I mean around the world. I never dreamed I would be in a position to have a worldwide ministry that circles the globe. I am the same guy who delights in a small group of four or five studying God’s precious Word.
So why such an increase? It was certainly not my intention. Back in September of 2000 I started with a handful of subscribers. Friends told friends (they still do) and gradually the subscriber base includes readers around the world. I just checked on Friday afternoon and was shocked to discover that I have sent out 2,556 Daily-E-Votionals.
I share these details with you to let you know that this is God’s work, not mine. Day by day I pray and meditate about what to write. Without the Lord’s help I would have run dry long ago. (There is nothing worse than a dry preacher!)
Back to today’s subject—“HURTING!” I receive many e-mail messages that reveal that God’s people are hurting. It may be the loss of work, financial havoc, an upsetting medical diagnosis, death of a loved one, divorce, false accusations or persecution for being a Christian.
It is very important that we take time to listen to people as they pour out their heart. It is not necessary to answer immediately—that is often the worst thing we can do. James 1:19 says that we are to be “quick to listen and slow to speak.” It is during this quietness of listening that we can pray and seek God’s guidance.
As today’s Scripture says, it is the Lord who brings us the comfort we need. When He does comfort us and lift us up, we should take note of what He has done for us and be ready to comfort others who are in the pressure cooker of life.
If you are hurting right now, I want you to know that God loves you and He will not allow you to endure more than you are able to bear. Spend time in His Word and search out the many precious promises He gives for our times of turmoil.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 26, 2009 | Luke
Luke 18:35-38
“As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ He called out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'”
I was watching a recent episode of “The First 48.” The suspect in a homicide was a young woman with an extensive criminal history. As the detectives questioned her, she was defiant and bitter. She railed out at them because of her miserable life and denied any involvement in the murder.
As it so happens, her interrogation took place on Thanksgiving Day. There were many police officers on duty that day and so the department had brought in a complete buffet of Cuban food.
After spending fruitless time interrogating the young woman, the detectives left her alone and went into the main office to get a plate of food. One of the detectives suddenly remembered the young woman and filled a plate for her and took it back into the interrogation room.
When the detective placed the plate of food in front of the young woman he observed a heart-stopping transformation. The detective said; “Let’s thank the Lord for the food.” He took her hand and the other detective’s and prayed for each of them at that table and thanked the Lord for the food.
The young woman began to weep and said, “I need to get right with the Lord. I want to tell you everything that I did and I want the Lord to forgive me.” Wow! In that moment, this miserable girl cried out to the Lord to not pass her by, and He didn’t. It reminds me of the old hymn, “Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Savior.”
“Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Savior“
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain: Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief,
Kneeling there in deep contrition;
Help my unbelief.
Refrain:
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Refrain:
Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in Heav’n but Thee?
Refrain:
Whatever you do, do not let the Savior pass you by!
To access Pass Me Not, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/passmenot in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 25, 2009 | Hebrews
Hebrews 9:27-28
“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
In pioneer days an outpost usually contained a small general store offering a limited variety of staple items like flour, salt, sugar, beans, cloth and the like. In the first half of the 1900s, grocery stores became separate from clothing stores and the variety of available items grew. In the early seventies a typical supermarket stocked about 9,000 items. Today that figure has grown to over 50,000 items! Wow! That is growth!
What is the reason for this phenomenal growth? Demand! It may better be defined as—desire. In its natural fallen state, the human heart is never satisfied. There is always the desire for more and more—bigger and better!
But then what? What will it take to reach the place of inner contentment? How much “stuff” is enough? Let me give you my answer—there will never be enough to satisfy! People are working day and night to produce items you didn’t even know existed and that you now cannot live without. Scary isn’t it.
Imagine that you just received a generous gift—but then what? You just discovered that a malignant growth had disappeared—but then what? You just retired to a life of ease—but then what?
The point I want to make is that everything—everything, is going to pass away and turn to dust. Each of us is destined to die and after that the judgment. Only those who have repented of their sins and received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will escape the terrible judgment of the unsaved.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 24, 2009 | John
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
One of my most vivid memories growing up was time spent at Payette Lakes in Idaho. The days may be in the eighties, but you needed a warm blanket or sleeping bag to keep warm at night.
I am an early riser and even then I enjoyed waking early and walking down to the lake side and looking across to the opposite shore. Many times the water was so serene and calm that it clearly reflected the scene from the far shore—a double blessing.
In these moments of reverie I could recall the hectic activities of the previous day. There were boats, water skiers, swimmers and even a sudden storm that churned the waters and cleared off the boaters.
Life is very much like that. There are times of frantic activity that will be fun and enjoyable, but nonetheless chaotic. There are also times when gales blow in and create stormy waters.
We long for peace! Is it possible in the midst of the storm? Remember that Jesus was with His disciples in a small boat on a tempestuous sea. Even these men who were professional fishermen thought they were doomed. It was when they called out to Jesus that they found perfect peace.
In today’s Scripture, Jesus promises peace for all of us. His peace is not the kind of peace the world knows. It is a peace that gives us serenity even when the world is blowing like a hurricane around us. He promises that when we come to Him, our hearts will not be troubled and we need not be afraid. That is sweet peace!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
