by Pastor Cecil | Jun 9, 2009 | John
John 14:25-27
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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.”
From time to time you see short video clips of a distinguished looking man stepping off of an airplane raising a paper in his hand. He stood before cameras and uttered the phrase “Peace for our time.” This very thing happened on September 30, 1938—the man was British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, and he referred to the Munich Agreement.
It is primarily remembered for its ironic value. The Munich Agreement gave the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler in an attempt to satisfy his desire for Lebensraum or “living space” for Germany. The German occupation of the Sudetenland began on the next day, October 1, 1938.
Less than a year after the agreement—following continued aggression from Germany and its invasion of Poland—Europe was plunged into World War II and England suffered horrible bombing raids.
Why bring this up at this time in history? Because there are many people in our modern world (Christians included) who are seeking after peace—but not the Prince of Peace. They violate the absolute truth of God’s Word for man-made solutions that never have nor ever will bring peace.
God did not call His people to compromise principle for peace, yet that is what we are seeing many of our religious leaders doing. Here is real peace: “My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” That is real peace! We must never replace God’s perfect peace with man’s false peace!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 8, 2009 | John
John 14:2-4
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
An elderly woman was as thrilled as a young schoolgirl. Her brother was taking her back to visit the old family home she had not seen since she was a young girl. They were looking for Kentucky Street. It didn’t seem to be there any longer, but then they saw the sign. What had seemed to be a broad boulevard when they were young, now looked more like a lane.
As they drove down the street they noticed that the small homes were neat and had been well cared for. They were becoming more and more optimistic as they neared the address for the family home.
Their hopes were dashed when they realized that there was no longer a house where their family home had once stood. Instead there was a large vegetable garden.
They noticed a man sitting on his porch nearby and asked him if he knew what had happened to the house that had once been there. He told them a wealthy man had decided he wanted a garden more than the old house, so he tore it down.
There was sadness in the hearts of the siblings as they drove away from their old neighborhood. Everything had changed. They were not the young kids they had been so long ago. The neighbors were all different and the house that had lived in their memories for so many years was no longer there.
They stopped at a small café to discuss what they had just experienced. It suddenly dawn on them that this world is really not our home. The woman spoke for both of them: “You know, these earthly abodes where we have lived can crumble or be bulldozed. Our bodies are destined to also be destroyed. But since both of us know the Lord as our personal Savior, our true home is waiting for us. We have not seen it yet, but it is being prepared just for us!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 5, 2009 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:12
“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.”
The words for “Face to Face” were written by Carrie Breck in 1889. She could not carry a tune in a bushel basket (we must be related) and had no sense of pitch. She was friends with a song writer, Grant Tuller.
Carrie composed the words of today’s hymn and sent them to Grant to see if he might be able to put them to music. As it so happened, the very evening before he had composed music to another song and he discovered that it was a match!
As Paul Harvey might have said, here is the rest of the story. A few years after it was published, God used today’s song to spare the lives of a missionary couple in China. Terrorists had taken them captive, led them to a lonely spot on a hill and told them that this would be the place of their death.
When the executioner raised his long knife to slay them the couple began singing this song. When he heard it, the man lowered his knife and released the couple. They returned to Shanghai and told the story many times. It was Grant Tullar’s and Carrie Breck’s “accidental” collaboration that God used to save the missionaries?
“Face To Face“
Face to face with Christ, my Savior,
Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ Who died for me?
Refrain: Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by!
Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkened veil between,
But a blessèd day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.
Refrain:
What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened,
And the dark things shall be plain.
Refrain:
Face to face—oh, blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ Who loves me so.
Refrain:
To access Face To Face, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/facetoface 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 4, 2009 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:11-12
“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son He delights in.”
My parents did not go along with the modern day child rearing philosophy. They held rigidly to the theory as introduced by Samuel Butler back in 1662: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” Though they had never read any of his writings on the subject, they believed in it wholeheartedly.
I did not consider myself to be an abused child even though there were times when it was much easier to stand than to try sitting on my “seat of discipline”—if you get my drift. Let’s face it—my bottom was too sore from the spanking. Did the discipline mean that they did not love me? Not on your life! They loved me enough to not allow me to continue an action that was wrong.
When I was a Juvenile Probation officer I remember being called to take home a 15-year-old girl that had been arrested. Joyce and I met the police and placed her in the back seat of our car. As we drove her home, I mentioned that her dad would no doubt discipline her for her actions. She stunned us with this statement: “My dad doesn’t love me enough to discipline me!”
Sometimes God brings His judgment upon those who violate His commands. Does that mean that He does not love us? Not on your life! As a matter of fact, it is proof that He loves us enough to discipline us.
Do you feel that God has taken you to His “woodshed” for some behavior modification? If so, it is because He loves you and is not willing to allow you to continue walking down the wrong path. His discipline is proof of His love!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 3, 2009 | Acts
Acts 8:34-35
“The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”
I am 75 and therefore enjoy a lifetime of memories—many of which I share with you in the Daily-E-Votionals. I still remember the good old days of radio when our imaginations provided the scenes depicted by sounds.
As a boy we lived near the Pacific Coast and were always on alert for a possible invasion. There were blackouts, rationing and stars in windows to signify that a son or daughter was in the service or had died in the war.
The world had just passed through the great depression and many families were still experiencing hard times. It was a time when we needed to hear words of hope and encouragement.
That was the opening statement of radio broadcaster Gabriel Heater, back in the dark days of WWII. In the time of darkness and doubt, good news was desperately needed.
In today’s Scripture, a eunuch from Ethiopia was discouraged by his inability to understand a passage of Scripture from Isaiah 53. It was into this scene that Philip arrived and told him the good news about Jesus.
With every dismal and depressing circumstance in our life, we need to hear words of hope from God’s Word; “Ahhhhhh, my friends! There’s good news tonight!” Jesus is the good news, and we need to be the ones who hear that good news and also to bring the good news to others.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
