by Pastor Cecil | Jul 31, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 126:5-6
“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
This week we will not have the regular hymn of the week. I have been requested to repeat this Daily-E-Votional that I originally sent out January 1, 2002. I am not sure where the original message came from, but I hope it will be a blessing to you.
THE DAFFODIL PRINCIPLE . . .
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. “I will come next Tuesday,” I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!” My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this all the time, Mother.”
“Well, you won’t get me back on the road until it clears, and then I’m heading for home!” I assured her. “I was hoping you’d take me over to the garage to pick up my car.”
“How far will we have to drive?” “Just a few blocks,” Carolyn said. “I’ll drive. I’m used to this.” After several minutes, I had to ask, “Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the garage!” “We’re going to my garage the long way,” Carolyn smiled, “by way of the daffodils.”
“Carolyn,” I said sternly, “please turn around.” “It’s all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.” After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read, “Daffodil Garden.”
We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns-great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
“But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “She lives on the property. That’s her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.
On the patio, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You are Asking” was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and a very little brain.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”
There it was, The Daffodil Principle. For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun-one bulb at a time-to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top.
Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world. This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable (indescribable) magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time-often just one baby-step at a time-and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation
of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.
“It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years?Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. “Start tomorrow,” she said. It’s so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, “How can I put this to use today?”
– Author Unknown
It really does not take great intellect or strength, it is just planting the bulbs that God gives us, and keep on planting them. I just switched over to my Daily-E-Votional file and was amazed that since September 15, 2000, I have sent out 431 E-Votionals. Let’s see – – – – 50,000 minus 431, that leaves me a lot of planting left to do.
NOTE: I WROTE THE ABOVE SUMMARY PARAGRAPH IN 2002. SINCE THEN I HAVE SENT OUT 3,380 MORE. I STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE I REACH THE 50,000 MARK!!!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 30, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 6:33-34
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Worry produces bitter fruit. Try to recall the times that you have worn yourself out worrying about something only to realize that you really didn’t need to worry about it. There were other times when pain and suffering came so unexpectedly that you had no time to worry about it. So why worry?!
There’s another passage of Scripture in the same sermon that Jesus shared with the people on the Mount. It is found in Matthew 6 verse 27; “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” The answer to this question of course is that no one can profit by worrying. So why worry!
The alternative to worry is to obey the command of our Lord. And what is that command? We read it very plain in verse 23. We are to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness before anything else. Before we worry, before we fret, before we stew, before we lose sleep, we seek to know and experience God and his fullness.
The next time you are prone to worry I urge you immediately to stop and begin quoting every Scripture that you have ever memorized. If you have not memorized any carry a little 3 x 5 card with some meaningful Scripture on it. Feast on it do not worry about the details of life!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 29, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 37:7
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
Sometimes you may have heard the words of today’s E–Votional title barked out in frustration. Someone may be rehashing an incident, repeating the same words over and over again. It is then that we might hear the annoyed listener issue the demand: “GIVE IT A REST!”
Rest is a vital necessity. Getting too little rest may lead to burnout. Getting too much rest may lead to laziness and indifference. There is a balance, or at least there should be.
As we read today’s Scripture we find that rest is associated with patience. How often we have prayed for a particular answer and then become frustrated because God does not answer as quickly as we would like. Not only are we to rest in the Lord, but we are to do so patiently. That is what faith in God is all about.
As we go about our activities this day and in the days that stretch out before us, it is essential that we keep our eyes focused upon the Lord rather than upon other people. Remember this: God’s timing is always best! We may think we know when things need to be accomplished but God has the entire picture and He knows all of our tomorrows. That is why we can confidently rest in Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 28, 2015 | Acts
Acts 9:17
“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’”
If you have the time, go to your Internet browser and type in your own name. It may surprise you to discover the number of people in the United States who have the same name as you.
There are two men mentioned in the book of Acts by the name of Ananias. The first man with that name was mentioned in Acts, chapter five, when a man by the name of Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of land. They acted deceitfully and brought only a portion of the proceeds to the disciples but made it appear to be the full amount they had received. The result was their deaths.
The other man by the name of Ananias lived in Damascus. He was a true disciple, one who could be counted upon for a difficult task. In a vision the Lord told him to go to Straight Street where he would find a man named Saul who was blind and who was praying. He was to lay hands on him that he might receive his sight. This Ananias knew who this man Saul was and that he was an enemy who had been sent to persecute Christians. Putting his fear aside, Ananias went and did as the Lord had told him.
Think of what a difference that one man Saul has made to the entire world! Two men with the same name. One ended in death and the other brought sight and salvation.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 27, 2015 | 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 16:9a
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
You may have heard the story of the young man who was ardently pledging his love to a young woman. He wrote to her: “My dear, I would climb the highest mountain for you! I would cross the widest river for you! I would fight a cage full of lions for you! That is how much I love you. I will be by to pick you up on Friday, if it doesn’t rain.”
We might be amused at the inconsistency of one that professed much but demonstrated little. I am sad to say how very much like that we are with the Lord. We are quick to proclaim our undying love for Him, yet spend virtually no time in prayer or reading His Word.
The passage of Scripture today concerned Asa, the king of Judah who had experienced unexpected victory over his enemy when he relied upon the Lord. However, later on when a new emergency arose, rather than returning to the Lord and asking for His help, King Asa took silver and gold from the temple and sent it to the king of Aram to ask for his help against the forces attacking Israel. The emergency was averted but God’s judgment fell; Asa would always be at war.
We may be critical of King Asa, but think of the number of times we rely upon lending institutions, counselors, or helpers of all sorts rather than calling upon the name of the Lord. God calls us to trust in Him and let Him bring the victory!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
