by Pastor Cecil | Jun 30, 2011 | 2 Corinthians
II Corinthians 11:13-14
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
Back in the late 1950’s I served as Juvenile Probation Officer in Idaho. It was such an enjoyable job that I delighted in going to work. One day I received word from the Sheriff’s department that one of my probationers had been reported as a runaway. The family was concerned, as was much of the small rural community where he lived.
He had been missing for about two weeks when someone spotted him moving around inside a locked grocery store late at night. The police were called and my boy arrested. As I interviewed him the next day I discovered that he hated school so bad that he decided to hide inside the store. He would come out after the store was locked and help himself to the bountiful supply of food.
After the interview I drove him to the school to get him back at the grind that he hated so much. The Principle was very upset about this truant and gave him a lecture that was boring to the boy as well as to me. He then wrote on a piece of paper the punishment. For each day he had missed school he would be suspended one day. I looked at my charge and saw a look of joy. Getting out of school for two more weeks was wonderful!
I excused the boy and leaned across the Principle’s desk. I said that he was contributing to the delinquency of this minor and if he did not have him back in class immediately I would have him arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I was bluffing, but he fell for it and immediately sent the boy to class.
Satan often throws his weight around with threats that are empty of authority. We are children of the King of kings and Lord of lords! We need not fight our own battles, in fact we have no business trying to do so. All we need to do is call for our Lord to come and take our place in the fight. Remember that Satan wins his battles by deception. The victory is ours in Jesus!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
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 Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 29, 2011 | Hebrews
Hebrews 5:11-12
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”
When our kids were still babies I was the one who tried to tempt them into eating more adult foods. I can still hear my wife and mom try to stop me, but the kids would smack their lips at their first taste of mashed potatoes and cream gravy.
Why do we lack the dynamic and power of the early New Testament church? We have all of the advantages that the believers lacked in that day, but all too often there has been a shocking immaturity among believers.
I guess one of the main reasons is that we have failed to stimulate their spiritual growth with something that is tasteful and meaningful. We drone our way through a litany of items that are boring to us and somehow expect the new believers to get excited.
Listen carefully¯if discipleship does not excite you it is unlikely to have a positive impact on others. We need to seek to find get so excited about finding new truth in the precious Word of God that we will be like a daddy trying to get his infants to try a nibble of some of the tasty food the adults are enjoying.
If you lack that thrill and excitement that I am writing about, please get on your knees and ask the Lord to help you find the spark that will ignite your fire.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
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 Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 28, 2011 | John
John 15:12-13
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”
I enlisted in the Air Force back in 1953. My first assignment was as a jet mechanic. It was quite a thrill to tear a jet engine apart to repair and/or inspect it, and then rebuild it to an air worthy condition.
Needless to say, jet engines are under great pressure and vibration — to say nothing of the forces of gravity that they would be subjected to. In an effort to reduce the possibility of a bolt becoming loose, holes were drilled all around the hex-headed bolts or nuts. It was one of our jobs to twist safety wire from one bolt to the next in order to insure that they did not become loose during the vibration of flight.
There was sometimes a problem. In order to reach certain locations on the engine, we almost had to work upside down. The result was that from time to time we did the wire twisting in reverse. That meant that any movement would tend to loosen rather than tighten the bolts. Bad medicine! In order to prevent that, we had an inspector who would always check our work to insure we did it right.
Spiritually we have safety wire to keep us from coming dislodged. It is the Word of God. We also have an Inspector who is ever present to insure that what we do is good, acceptable and pleasing. It is the precious Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He never leaves us nor forsakes us, but is always there beside us to show us the way. Praise the Lord for His gracious concern for us!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
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 Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 27, 2011 | James
James 2:14-17
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Back in the days when I was a Juvenile Probation Officer, we had close contact with the local county deputy sheriffs. Tricks and pranks were often played to break the grim reality of their heavy responsibility. One night the Chief Deputy had a make-up artist make him look like a seedy and scraggly character. He then went into one of the small towns and began to act disoriented.
The County Sheriff lived in that area and he was sure it would be him that responded. Sure enough the Sheriff arrived and tried to reason with this unreasonable and very undesirable character. With no other recourse the Sheriff arrested him and started out for the county jail. As he was being booked in, he was asked for his full name and he finally identified himself. It took quite some time before the staff realized who it was. As I recall they thought about throwing him into one of the cells to get even.
As I think about this incident that occurred some forty-five years ago, I realize that we are prone to disguise ourselves to those around us. We do not want them to see what we are really like. In reality, what the world needs to see is the real us! They need to see that we are struggling to live a victorious life in the face of challenges of every kind. I for one want to be real at all times and never try to put on a super saint costume. That is why I try to share the reality of my life in these Daily-E-Votionals. Stay with me as we all look forward to that day when we see Jesus face to face.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
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 Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 24, 2011 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 107:29-30
“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.”
It seems that each of us is called upon to face storms in our life. It may be physical infirmity, financial reversals or the loss of a loved one. It is not the storm that matters, but how we react to the storm.
Back in 1873, Horatio Spafford and his family were scheduled to sail on the French steamer ‘Ville de Havre’ from New York to England where he was to assist the great evangelist, D.L. Moody. Because of a last minute business crisis Mr. Spafford sent his family on ahead and he would follow on a later ship.
Unfortunately the ship his family was on collided with another ship and sank. There was a terrible loss of life. Spafford and his wife lost their four daughters. Nine days later Horatio Spafford received a cable from his wife that simply said, “Saved alone.” What poignant words.
Later, as he was sailing to meet his wife, he asked the captain to let him know when they were near where the accident had occurred. It was there that he penned the words of this week’s hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul.”
“It Is Well With My Soul“
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
To access It Is Well With My Soul, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/itiswellwithmysoul 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. – Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends. They’ll appreciate the encouragement.
P.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.
