by Pastor Cecil | May 22, 2017 | Daily-E-Votionals
DEAR FAITHFUL SUBSCRIBERS,
FOR OVER 17 YEARS I HAVE POURED OUT MY HEART THROUGH THIS MINISTRY. DURING THIS TIME I HAVE NOT TAKEN VACATION (OTHER THAN HOSPITAL STAY…AND YOU KNOW THAT IS NO VACATION).
I AM NOT QUITTING, BUT LET’S JUST SAY THAT I AM POSTING A SIGN ON THE DOOR THAT SAYS…
GONE FISHING!
I PLAN TO RETURN ON JUNE 5TH
DURING MY VACATION YOU CAN ACCESS PREVIOUS RENDERINGS THROUGH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
https://pastorcecilathompsondailye-votional.blogspot.com
TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
https://pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear.blogspot.com
PASTOR CECIL A. THOMPSON TUMWATER CHAPEL MESSAGE OF THE WEEK.
Please click on the following link to listen to the message:
https://tumwaterchapelofgrace.blogspot.com/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 19, 2017 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor has been helping families restore broken relationships. I recall being asked to officiate at a funeral service for a family that I did not know. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Right! Just like that! What other miracle would you like me to perform?!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had children, spouses and others on their side. This son and his family were on one side of the aisle and his sister and her family on the other side. I had prayed for just the right words. I just started reading a Scripture. To this day cannot recall what I used. I had just finished reading when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight years old she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people do not! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot – nor I will not. The hymn, Draw Me Nearer expresses her desire to draw nearer to her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 18, 2017 | Mark
Mark 9:39-40
“But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side.’”
It is with some trepidation that I broach the topic for the final installment in my series on bullying — the spiritual kind. Yes, it is all too common that we encounter spiritual bullies. Interestingly, even the disciples of Jesus were prone to bully others who were not in their circle.
We often come across groups that display disgraceful conduct toward other believers for petty differences that have nothing to do with eternal salvation. While it is true that our actions must be grounded in God’s Word, the interpretations can often vary.
I once heard of a new pastor that was held in great suspicion and was subject to the wrath of his new congregation. He could not figure out the problem until he spoke with the church janitor. Apparently he was conducting the Lord’s Supper incorrectly. It seems that this new pastor was not touching the radiator first. The people were indignant!
When the perplexed pastor related his problem to the former pastor, the older man just roared with laughter. It seems that a new carpet had once been installed on the platform and it produced static electricity that sometimes caused an electric snap when he passed the cup. To prevent this he would touch the radiator first and had just kept up the habit. It led to a TRADITION that resulted in the congregation bullying the new minister.
Pastor J. Vernon McGee once shared that he held a different view than a fellow minister on the timing of the rapture of the church. Instead of causing bitterness and division, however, each man simply tried to show Biblical support for his particular view. They delighted in a deeper study of the Word to support their stance. He laughed as he said that he was not going to spend his time belittling the other pastor for his view, but on the way up in the rapture he would just say, “I told you so!”
It is important for each of us to examine our behavior toward others. Are we guilty of being spiritual bullies? Do we find ourselves trying to play the role of the Holy Spirit toward others? Remember … NO SPIRITUAL BULLYING ALLOWED!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions and without bullying!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 17, 2017 | Psalm
Psalm 37:16
“A little that a righteous man has is better that the riches of many wicked.”
Perhaps you’ve heard someone comment that a certain person “was born with a silver spoon in his (or her) mouth.” The thought behind the expression was that this sort of person used their financial means to bully others.
I have never had the problem of being a rich bully. More often than not I have been bullied by others who held the financial advantage. They possessed the means to assist people, but instead used it to put others in a financial bind.
Jesus often condemned those who used their wealth as a means to abuse those who had very little. You may recall His parable in Luke 16 of the rich man and Lazarus. It appears that the rich man almost taunted or even bullied Lazarus who ate the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. You can almost visualize the rich man tossing food fragments on the ground to watch Lazarus scramble for them. Both men died and the days of bullying were over. The sad wail of the rich man will be heard throughout all of eternity. Satan will forever be his bully!
It is not necessary for us to be rich in order to become rich bullies. If we have the means to make the way easier for others, yet make them miserable by withholding assistance, we are a rich bully. It is time to freely give to others!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 16, 2017 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 3:7
“Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
There are mean spirited bullies all around us. As I mentioned yesterday, I do not like bullying of any sort. Within the halls of academia there is a great deal of bullying. Those who possess advanced degrees often lord it over those who have not had the opportunity or ability to earn comparable degrees.
I am stunned by the arrogance that many academicians exhibit toward those they don’t consider their academic equals. They bully their way into positions that seem designed more to put others down rather than to be of benefit. They are scholarly bullies!
Many years ago I was close friends with a professor who had his PhD. in the field of physics. He was the opposite of a scholarly bully. In fact, he shared that he had trouble carrying on an intelligent conversation with many of his associates. He said he found more wisdom among the maintenance men at the college than among the professors. That astute observation brought a smile to my heart since my dad was a maintenance man at the college.
Regardless of our formal education, we should never allow others to feel that we are being a scholarly bully by making them feel inferior. Instead, we should be like my friend with the doctor’s degree who spent time talking with those who only had an 8th grade education. They had much to teach him. Are we listening?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
