by Pastor Cecil | Dec 18, 2009 | Revelation
Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'”
When I read passages like this, I really get homesick for heaven. The thought that everything that causes us pain here will be passed away is beyond our comprehension. All of us experience pain. Pain is of different types — physical, emotional, spiritual, to mention a few. Pain will end!
Our tolerance to pain is interesting to observe. It is always more interesting to observe pain in others than it is in ourselves! (I am very profound in these things, right?)
Many years ago I was volunteering to work on remodeling a church. There was a young man in his twenties who was also part of the work detail. Suddenly we heard this young man scream in obvious pain and rushed in to see if he may be fatally wounded. We discovered him holding his finger and dancing around in circles as he continued his loud screams. It was only a small sliver. We were not too sympathetic and gave an impromptu mimicry of his display. He was indignant and protested that there was even blood. We were not impressed!
In contrast I recall traveling with our high school football team the year after I graduated. I was standing on the sidelines when one of our players was tackled just a few feet from me. We were all cheering for him when I heard him softly mutter; “Rats, I just broke my arm!” It was so casual that we thought he might be teasing. We were wrong and he was right — it was broken!
What a difference in the manner in which people perceive the pain they experience. Pinprick-sized cuts can hurt and broken bones can hurt, and family conflicts can hurt, and being unappreciated can hurt, and being falsely accused can hurt, and being ill can hurt — we could go on for a long time. The bottom line is that pain is a reality of life.
Praise God, there is a light at the end of our tunnel of pain! Athletes, as well as others, are sometimes forced to work through their pain for the good of the desired objective. They know that the goal is worth the agony. We would do well to learn that lesson ourselves. But there is a time coming when pain will disappear!
I love the book of Revelation. It gives meaning and direction to everything else in Scripture. I heard of a noted Bible scholar who had been teaching an in-depth study of Revelation. An older man in the class came up to him following one of the last classes and said he could sum up the Book of Revelation in two words. The scholar scoffed until the old man said, “Jesus Wins!”
As long as we are alive we are almost certainly going to encounter pain. We have a choice of allowing the pain to become the focus of our attention, or to endure the pain in order to accomplish what Christ calls us to do for Him.
The hope and vision that propels us is that our pain will end. The Apostle Paul has already said it better than I could ever phrase it: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 17, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 75:4-5
“To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift up your horns against heaven; do not speak with an outstretched neck.’ ”
What an unusual phrase; “- – an outstretched neck.” It is rendered that way in the New International Version of the Bible. In the King James Version it is “- – a stiff neck.” In the New American Standard it is “- – an insolent pride.” In the first two versions we have a word picture, while in the NASB we find more of a definition.
One of the places where we see the display of insolent pride is during sporting events. Not always, but frequently we observe athletes with outstretched necks parading back and forth like proud peacocks. It has become common enough that penalties are often assessed because it is described as taunting.
But that is nothing compared to the picture of those arrogant boasters who, in their pride, stand opposed to God. These people may claim to be wise, but wisdom is in their own eyes and God will have the last word. Oh, how much better it would be if they would turn from their arrogance and honor God.
From time to time a story is passed around the Internet about an atheistic college professor who seemed to delight in demeaning any student professing faith in Jesus Christ. One student was adamant about her faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. It was a simple faith, and she did not make an issue of it, but it affected her whole life.
One day this teacher thought of a way to humiliate this girl and at the same time demonstrate his atheistic position. He told her to go to the window and then asked, “Mary, look all around. Do you see the flowers and grass and trees?” Mary responded that she did. “Do you see God anywhere?” Mary answered, “No.” He then asked her to look up into the sky. He asked her, “Mary, do you see God in the sky?” Again Mary answered, “No.”
When Mary had returned to her seat, the teacher smiled smugly (with an “outstretched neck”) and said, “You see class, we have just proved that there is no God!”
Mary raised her hand and asked to speak. The arrogant teacher granted her request. Mary called to Ted, a boy who was seated in the first row. “Ted,” she said, “Do you see our teacher, Mr. Smith?” Ted answered that he did. Mary then asked, “Ted, do you see Mr. Smith’s brain?” Ted said, “No.” Mary smiled to Mr. Smith and quietly asked, “Have we just proven that you do not have a brain?” Mr. Smith hurriedly gave the class the next-day’s assignment and never tried such a stunt again.
A silly story? Yes it is. But it is no more silly than the people with pompous attitudes toward God. They seem to feel that their rejection of God proves that there is no God. How ridiculous. It only proves that they do not believe in God!
But wait! What about those who believe in God but have never entered into a personal experience with Him? I am sad to say that there are those believers who also stretch out their necks in pride and arrogance. They rely on themselves rather than trusting in the Lord. In their pride they call upon God only when they get into trouble.
Let me close for today with this passage in Proverbs 3:5-6, which is the best way to steer clear of having an outstretched neck — “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 16, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 9:2
“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
I can recall as boy (it is getting harder and harder to remember that far back) singing a kid’s song, “This little light of mine.” Light has always been an interesting subject for me. All through Scripture we read references to the term “light” and, as near as I can tell, there are 272 references to “light” in the King James Version.
Last Friday marked the first day of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah (The Festival of Lights). I fear that most people fail to understand its meaning and significance. In 165 B.C. the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism a punishable offense. He even desecrated the Temple by offering a swine on the altar.
Antiochus was killed, but the Temple had been defiled and required ritual cleansing. Consecrated olive oil was needed for the eternal flame, but they found only enough of the consecrated oil for one day. The problem was that it required eight days to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil for the eternal flame — the people needed a miracle and God provided it. In a miraculous manner, the flame continued to burn for the full eight days on the one-day supply of oil, after which the Temple was dedicated.
It is interesting to read in John 10:22-23, that Jesus traveled to Jerusalem in winter to be present for the celebration of the Feast of Dedication. Our miracle-working Savior authenticated and blessed the Feast by his presence. We need a miracle in our own day. We need the oil in our lamps to burn bright and remain until He comes again. What a day that will be!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 15, 2009 | Colossians
Colossians 1:10
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”
In Monday’s E-Votional, we looked at Paul’s instructions for praying for the saints that they may be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding. That suggests to me that we are to pray for the spiritual growth and maturity of every believer.
In today’s Scripture Paul gives the reason for spiritual maturity: that we might produce fruit in every good work as our knowledge of God increases. As I read this passage I get the impression that we are to bear fruit in the process of growth.
It is easy to have the false notion that we have to “arrive” at some level of competence before we are to produce fruit. That is not the case. Our testimony about what the Lord Jesus has done for us does not require special training. It just has to be authentic!
As we discover more and more truths from God’s Word, we will be able to have a greater impact as we share what we have discovered in our personal study of God’s Word. It seems to me that the lamest idea of discipleship is to drag someone to church so the “preacher” can hammer away with the truth of the gospel.
What if there was no “preacher” and you were the only one to snatch a human soul from the road that leads to hell? Would you be prepared to accomplish the task? In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul admonishes Timothy to study so that God will be pleased as he becomes a worker who knows how to correctly divide God’s Holy Word. That is my prayer for each of us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 14, 2009 | Colossians
Colossians 1:9
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
It seems that God’s children have always had a question of how to pray. Jesus’ disciples asked Him how to pray, even though they had been in His presence and had heard many of His prayers personally. So how are we to pray—above and beyond the Prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray—what we have come to know as the Lord’s Prayer?
I think we have all experienced prayer services where no prayer has been requested or offered that was not for a physical need. That is not to say that we are not to pray for physical afflictions, but we seem to be banging our head against the wall if that is the extent of our prayers.
We are repeatedly told that we are to praise the Lord in our pray times. In spite of that we usually launch into a laundry list of requests instead of magnifying and glorifying the Lord who has given us eternal life.
Besides praising the Lord, how should we be praying for others? In today’s Scripture, Paul has just received word from Epaphras of the faith of the saints living in Colosse. His prayer for them should be a pattern for each of us as we pray for fellow Christians. He prayed continually for God to fill them with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. That is my prayer for each of you as you read this Daily-E-Votional!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
