by Pastor Cecil | Feb 7, 2011 | Mark
Mark 8:16-18
“They discussed this (His warning to beware the yeast of the Pharisees) with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?”
When I was in the Air Force, I was stationed in areas of the country where we had quite severe weather from time to time. We encouraged the kids to be excited to watch the thunderstorms with delight, and all three of them loved to cheer at the flash-bang displays.
When my mom came to visit she was not a good judge of clouds. Many times when she came to visit she would stand at the window and say; “Cec come and look at this cloud, it looks pretty bad to me.” Most often it was a small cloud with the sun at its back so that it appeared dark.
It reminds me that it most often takes a discerning eye to see and appreciate the wonderful things that God has created. This lack of spiritual appreciation has robbed us of a blessing and God of the praise He deserves. Some people have the spiritual eyes and ears, but cannot comprehend the wonderful things which God has prepared for us.
Even the disciples of Jesus failed to grasp His words. They were thinking about bread to fill the stomach, but He was talking about the self-righteous sin of the Pharisees. They brought down to a human level the words of Jesus, which were spiritual.
Before we become too critical of His disciples, how many times do we fail to see the plans and purposes of God? How many times do we equate health, wealth and happiness as blessing, while sickness, poverty and heartbreak as a curse?
In reality, it is in the trials and tribulations of our life that we become aware of the sweet presence of the Lord. Think back on your experiences of these times and you will remember that He was always with you.
So how can we change? How can we be people who open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our minds to understand? I am tempted to suggest that it is by HABIT! It is doing and re-doing and doing again and again.
It is asking Him to open our eyes to make us aware of His presence. It is paying attention to the words of Scripture we read, the words of songs we hear and the needs we see in those around us.
God’s precious Word is ours for the taking. May we purpose in our hearts to have eyes to see and hearts to be open to comprehend!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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by Pastor Cecil | Feb 4, 2011 | Luke
Luke 24:29
“But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them”
Henry F. Lyte was a man who greatly loved the Lord with his whole being. He came up with the saying, “It is better to wear out than to rust out,” and it perfectly described his life.
During the last 23 years of his life he pastored a poor church in England. He always suffered from poor health but during this time his health started to decline even more. When he finally preached his last sermon on September 4, 1847, it is reported that he practically had to crawl to the pulpit.
Shortly before preaching his last sermon he wrote the words and tune to the hymn, “Abide With Me.” He based his hymn on today’s Scripture that tells the story of Jesus walking with two disciples on the way to Emmaus and their statement, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.” He went to be with the Lord shortly after writing the hymn.
Later William Monk wrote a new tune for the hymn. During a time of personal sorrow, he was inspired by the beauty of a magnificent sunset.
“Abide With Me“
Abide with me—fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens—Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes,
Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
To access Abide With Me, this week’s inspirational hymn video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/abidewithme 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
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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by Pastor Cecil | Feb 3, 2011 | Proverbs
Proverbs 25:25-26
“As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country. A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well.”
I was wakened very early this morning (about two or three a.m.), and since I could not immediately go back to sleep, I began to pray. One of the prayers I prayed was for guidance about what to write in today’s Daily-E-Votional. The Lord blessed me with a long forgotten memory. It was of the dark days of World War II when people were starved for any report of good news. A radio commentator by the name of Gabriel Heatter became that voice of comfort as he began each broadcast with the words, “Ah, there’s good news tonight!” These many years later I still recall those hopeful words.
Modern reporters or commentators seem to glory in the gory. They search and seek out the most sordid incidents to present. Not so with Gabriel Heatter. Perhaps it was because of the influence his mother had on him. He was the son of immigrants who settled in Brooklyn. His mother woke Gabriel every day at 5AM to deliver baskets of food to poor people in the area. (She wanted to get food to them very early so they wouldn’t be embarrassed by being seen receiving handouts.)
I am sure that the joy Gabriel witnessed as hungry families received “Good News” (in the form of a food basket) marked him for life. As a broadcaster he wanted to deliver a basket full of hope by offering “Good News Tonight!”
It will be my intention to devote each Thursday’s E-Votional to sharing with all of our readers an item that truly is the good news. There is no better news than the message of salvation that God offers to all who receive it. The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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by Pastor Cecil | Feb 2, 2011 | Luke
Luke 6:25
“Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”
I am sorry to say that there have been times in my life when I have laughed at the misfortunes of others. One summer, as a teenager, I worked at a chemical processing plant along with several of my classmates. The process involved dumping heavy bags of ingredients into a huge mixer. After it was blended to the right mix, we would fill sacks with the new blend destined for the customer.
One of the most difficult jobs was dumping sacks into the mixer. The mixer was about ten feet off the floor with a platform to stand on as the heavy sacks of powder would be dumped inside. To keep the powder from spreading, a plywood door would be lowered before the mixing began. It was supported on each side with light chains. (Hang on! There is a reason for this description.)
Just picture in your mind a 4 feet by 8 feet piece of ¾ inch plywood suspended on each side by chains. Now imagine what would happen if the person dumping a bag of powder weighing 75 to 100 pounds was careless and dropped it on one of the chains. Let me tell you what happened—that plywood would slam down fast and furious! There was an older man (40’s or 50’s) who worked with us. He just could not get the hang of dumping in the middle. The result was bang after bang on his forehead. As he staggered around in pain, I confess we roared with laughter.
I fear that we fail to empathize with those who experience painful accidents. Rather than laugh, how much better it would be if we could use the incidents to show our concern for their eternal destiny. Hell is not humorous and there are many on the broad path that leads to destruction. By all means save some!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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by Pastor Cecil | Feb 1, 2011 | Isaiah
Isaiah 64:8
“But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.”
About 60 years ago I was in high school and taking an art class. It was not because I considered myself an artist or even had any inclination that way. It was because I thought it would be an easy class. (Did I just say that?)
One of the projects was to study pottery making. It started with “throwing” the clay on a wheel to form a uniform bowl. At least that’s what it was supposed to be. Most of us had globs that had little resemblance to anything. We then allowed our bowls to dry before they were placed in a kiln to harden. Then we tried to decorate our great masterpieces to become presentable.
As I consider the entire process of making a vessel of clay, I am reminded that there are numerous references in Scripture stating that we are the clay and the Lord is molding and shaping us to be used in His service.
I recently saw a program on the making of sewer pipes. The process was the same as that of creating a decorative object. The difference is in the use. Our towns and cities have intricate underground systems that rely on the clay pipes to maintain safe and sanitary conditions.
Sometimes we may feel that we are nothing but a sewer pipe in the work of the Lord. You know what? We should take pride that the Lord is using us just the way He designed us. Whether we are an ornate vase placed on a mantle or a pipe buried deep underground, God uses us to accomplish His will.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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