by Pastor Cecil | Jan 15, 2015 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 4:6-7
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
I sit here at the bedside of a vital part of my life for some 66 years. I truly have never known what it is like not having her as my best friend, soul mate and wife. Without question she has been flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.
As I sit here watching her labored breathing, I am aware that it will only be a short time before her breathing stops and her life here on earth ends. At the same time I rejoice in the certainty that she enters into a wonderful eternal life without, pain, suffering or sorrow. The sights she will experience defy our earthly imagination.
–BUT—WHAT DO I DO NOW?
As I prayerfully face this new phase of my life I know that I will continue to do the things God has called me to do. I will be the best father possible to our son and his wife, our daughter, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I will be faithful to the calling God has given me as a Pastor and writer. I will strive every way possible to be God’s servant. I refuse to feel sorry for myself. There are many needy hearts and I purpose to meet the needs as best I can.
Today, 1/13/15, Joyce has just ended her journey here on earth. She has shown us a godly pattern of caring and sharing. Now it is time for us to fill the gap she leaves.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 14, 2015 | Acts
Acts 7:5-56
“But he, (Stephen) being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’”
The year was 1954 and I was stationed in the United States Air Force in Rapid City, South Dakota. While there we attended a small church along with just a handful of people. The pastor and his wife had three children, one of which was a developmentally disabled boy named Chucky. Chucky had all the features of Downs Syndrome. He spoke only with guttural tones and with great difficulty.
Chucky was the happiest when he would slip past the one who was assigned to sit with him and go up on the platform and sit in a chair next to his dad. I can still picture scenes of him sitting or standing by his dad with his song book upside down, pretending that he knew what the words meant, and making his singing sounds. His dad would look down at him with a pleasant smile that seemed to say, “I love you and I am here for you.”
At a family camp in the Black Hills of South Dakota there was a special healing service on the final day of the camp. Our pastor and his wife brought little Chucky forward for prayer. As the people prayed there was a feeling that healing had taken place, and everyone left certain that word would soon be received of a supernatural healing. But in just a few short days, Chucky died. The speaker at that camp sent a telegram to the grieving parents rejoicing that Chucky had been “healed perfectly.”
This world is not our home. No matter how long we live, we are here to love Him and serve Him. AFTER I WROTE THIS, AT 8:45 THIS MORNING, OUR PRECIOUS JOYCE RECEIVED HER PERFECT HEALING!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 13, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 42:21
“They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.’”
This is not a comfortable E-Votional for me to write as I remember just a few short months ago placing a small crystal bell beside Joyce’s bed. Many times I would be busy writing or working on Bible study when I would hear the “tinkle-tinkle” of that little bell.
I have to confess I sometimes grumbled about the interruption. When Joyce asked for a dish of frozen yogurt or something of that nature, I wondered why she could not get up and get it herself. At that time I had no idea that her uncharacteristic behavior was one of the first signs of the disease.
Today this precious wife of mine lies on a hospital bed in our living room. Now most of the time, she is not even able to speak. As I looked down on her last night, she was talking with people in her past but could not be awakened to the present. Tears flooded my eyes, even as they do now…How I long to be interrupted by the sound of that bell one more time.
God’s call to us is like the sounding of a bell. He calls us to turn from the things of this world and serve Him. How sad it is that we are often so busy with our little pet interests that we become irritated by the Holy Spirit’s prompting. One of the things I am learning through this valley of trial is to stay close to the Lord, and when He calls be ready to respond.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 12, 2015 | Hosea
Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
Our daughter Lori has spent many hours helping me with Joyce over the past few months. About thirteen years ago Lori had a kidney and pancreas transplant and, since the surgery, she has been required to take a host of anti-rejection drugs.
I always prepare the medications that Joyce and I take each day, but it is nothing compared to the amount that Lori must take in order to insure that her body does not reject the transplanted organs.
This morning I heard the rattle of pills being counted and dropped into pill boxes. In order to keep track of the meds she needs to take daily, Lori uses containers that are designated with each day of the week and AM or PM. This way she always knows if she has taken the required dosages. Failure to take her proper medications could result in rejection and death.
Hosea warns that when we reject spiritual knowledge we are in danger of spiritual death. It is a tragic reality that many churches today are spiritually dead because they have rejected the spiritual knowledge that God’s Word provides. The ministers of some churches listen to the teachings of men rather than what the Lord God says. I choose to believe in God and obey His Word!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 9, 2015 | 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”
I wonder how eager we are for the presence of the Lord to abide with us. Do we yearn for His presence in our life to the extent that we grieve when we cannot feel Him near us?
Henry F. Lyte was a man who greatly loved the Lord with his whole being. He coined the saying, “It is better to wear out than to rust out.” That phrase perfectly described his life. During the last 23 years of his life he was the pastor of 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!
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. To access Abide With Me, this free inspirational video from GloryScapes™, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/abidewithme/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
