by Pastor Cecil | Jan 24, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Here in Olympia, Washington, we have just experienced 16 or more inches of snow and a thick coat of ice on top of that. You might check yesterday’s Daily-E-Votional for a description of the storm.
Before we finally left the house for a warm place to stay, we bundled up and hoped the power and heat would return. As I was sitting in our family room, I watched the mass of birds clustering around our nine feeders. With such extreme winter conditions I knew that this was just about their only source of food.
Watching birds is a very revealing activity. Some of the birds that come to the feeders are only interested in feeding. They do not pick fights or try to shove other birds out of the way. They just peck away at the seeds or suet blocks. There are some, on the other hand, that are bullies. As I observe them I notice that they spend more time fussing than feeding.
Unfortunately, we frequently see that same scenario played out in the church. Some are hungry for the Word of God and feed on what the Holy Spirit is revealing to them. But sad to say, there are the fussers! They expend most of their efforts involved in conflicts. Guess what? Their bickering robs them of the spiritual food that the Lord has prepared. I don’t want to fight—I want to be fed. Feed me Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, feed don’t fight, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 23, 2012 | Revelation
Revelation 3:15-16
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
There is no way that I want to suggest that we have endured anything like Paul suffered, but last week was a trying one for our area. Wednesday night we had 16 inches of snow and then Thursday night the temperature dropped and we were greeted with freezing rain. The ice continued to build up and as power lines fell due to the heavy coating and at 10:15 a.m. our power went out.
We had no idea how long we would be in the cold and dark, but we bundled up and tried to keep as warm as possible. Some of our dear friends had installed a powerful generator for just such emergencies and had previously invited us to stay with them. We did with great rejoicing.
I thought about the destructive nature of cold as I meditated on God’s Word in their comfortable home. Icy conditions are the result of the absence of heat. When you remove heat, cold rushes in and paralyzes.
It is a sad fact that many believers have allowed the heat of God’s love to slip out of their life. They gradually become cooler and cooler and spiritually become icy. We need to ignite the fire in our love and service for the Lord. He is the ultimate source of heat in the universe and beyond. Stay close to the fire!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 20, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 90:1-2
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
O God, Our Help in Ages Past, is a hymn by Isaac Watts and paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five and nine.
The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. It has often been sung for special occasions in England. It was sung in 1941, at a religious service on board HMS Prince of Wales attended by Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also sung at the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965.
Later composers subsequently incorporated the tune in their own works. For example, George Handel used the tune in an anthem entitled, O Praise the Lord.
O God Our Help in Ages Past
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
To access O God Our Help in Ages Past, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ogodourhelpinagespast/ 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. – My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go to the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 19, 2012 | Galatians
Galatians 3:28-29
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Here in the U.S. we have just celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. As I have been reflecting on the evils of prejudice, I recall an early-childhood incident that perhaps changed all my life. I was about ten or eleven and Mom and I were waiting in the car for my dad to finish his shift as a regional bus driver.
While we were waiting we noticed an African American boy about my age lovingly cradle a large platter. My mom persuaded me to go and talk with him and find out about the platter. It was the first time I had ever spoken to someone of another color.
I felt no animosity toward any others, but I guess in my mind he was THEM and I was US. Within a few minutes the two of us were happily engaged in conversation as he bubbled over with excitement about how he had won the plate at an amusement park and was going to give it to his mama. As I returned to our car he was no longer one of THEM—he had just expanded my world.
Take a few minutes and think of others that in your mind you have classified as THEM. After you have done this, pray and ask the Lord to show you how you can make them a brother or sister in the Lord. No longer THEM, but US!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 18, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 42:5, 8
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. By day the LORD directs His love, at night His song is with me a prayer to the God of my life.”
Have you ever had the blue funks, the down days, the blahs? Remember that old lament, “Nobody loves me everybody hates me, I’m going to eat some angle worms. Down goes a fat one, down goes a skinny one. Oh, how they wiggle when they squirm?” Boy! That is one from way back in my boyhood days! Aren’t you glad that I share such spiritually profound gems with you?
Psalm 42 is credited to the Sons of Korah. The Sons of Korah member who wrote this particular Psalm, seems to have been depressed when he wrote it. It is interesting that there is a conversation here with his soul. It is a picture of a person who is talking to himself. Have you ever done that?
I once heard that it is permissible to talk to yourself. That’s right—you can talk to yourself all you want. The problem arises when you answer yourself and then the conversation turns into an argument! If and when this happens — you’re in trouble! Here is an important principle that I learned long ago: When someone is depressed, the last thing you want to tell them is,”Cheer up!” That is a good way for you to find yourself on the receiving end of a tirade!
In today’s Scripture the Psalmist is not simply moaning and whining about his emotional state, he proceeds to give his condition over to the Lord. Listen to the Lord’s song to bring you out of the pit of despair.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
—Pastor Cecil
