by Pastor Cecil | Jul 1, 2014 | Luke
Luke 10:38-40a
As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
For years I have read this passage of Scripture and tried to picture the scene. It appears that the home belonged to Martha. Her brother, Lazarus, and sister lived with her. At some point, Jesus came to the home and Mary sat eagerly at His feet taking in the words He shared with those who gathered.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (actually in the kitchen), Martha was slaving away at the preparations for the meal that would be served. She stewed in the stew that Mary had left her alone in the necessary work of serving. Martha complained to Jesus about the situation and wanted Him to send Mary to the kitchen to help her.
From a practical point of view it would seem reasonable that Mary should have been in the kitchen helping. But she had a higher calling; she wanted to drink in every word that proceeded out of the Master’s mouth.
Here is where I impose myself in this scene. Rather than take the side of either Martha or Mary, I would like to be like both. I desire to have a servant spirit that cares about others, but I also want to take the time to drink in the life-giving words that come from the Word of God. I will, therefore, serve and soak up the Word!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 30, 2014 | Exodus
Exodus 4:1-3
Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ ‘A staff,’ he replied. The Lord said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
One of the excuses that people quite often give for not serving the Lord is that they do not have the training, intelligence, or ability to be of service. When we study the life of Moses we discover that he used this same argument with the Lord.
Can you believe that? The God of creation calls Moses to a monumental task and he tries to tell the Lord that he does not have what it takes. Here he was a fugitive from Egyptian justice and for forty years had been dealing with foolish sheep. Now the Lord calls him to go back to Egypt and lead God’s people to the land of promise.
The Lord responded to his excuse by asking Moses what he had in his hand. It was nothing more than a shepherd’s staff. That was enough. When Moses obeyed God and threw the staff on the ground, it became a snake. It was not Moses’ power that God was looking for — it was his obedience.
In like manner, God wants us to present what we have to Him for His use. It may be so small that we do not consider it of value, but when it is given to the Lord, He will take it and use it as He sees fit. WHAT IS IN YOUR HAND?!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 27, 2014 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 40:4
And the man said to me, ‘Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.’
A dear friend of mine was out pheasant hunting on a crisp October day. As he was walking along an irrigation bank moving from one field to the next, he noticed two people approaching. As they grew closer, he saw that it was a father leading his son who was blind.
While my friend was talking with the father, he noticed the son was listening to the sounds of his hunting dog. Being a perceptive person, he asked the boy if he would like to SEE his dog. Wow! I would never have thought of that, but the boy knelt down and began to use his sensitive fingertips to SEE the dog. It made the blind boy’s day! It made my friend’s day as well. Eyes are not necessary for seeing nor ears for hearing. Our mind is capable of using our other senses to comprehend.
I thought of this when I received an e-mail from one of our subscribers who shared a picture of a four-legged beauty named Godiva. She is a guide dog who provides eyes for her owner, Bill Haddon.
It is a joy to have several blind subscribers to the Daily-E-Votional. They seem to have a sensitivity to the things of God and are able to SEE with their heart and HEAR with their spirit the things God has for them. May they be blessed!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 26, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” — “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Over and over I meet children with fathers that have provoked them to the point of anger and despair. One young teen’s father would make the boy stand at attention while he screamed in his face for committing some minor infraction. The son became withdrawn and depressed.
I have used two passages of Scripture for today. Each one cautions fathers about the way they discipline their children. In Ephesians, Paul cautions fathers not to embitter their children. In the Colossians they are instructed not to exasperate them. The fact that Paul warns fathers twice in this manner suggests to me that we fathers are prone to do that.
The Greek word for embitter in Ephesians 6:4 is parorgizo. It means to rouse to wrath, exasperate, provoke or anger. The word exasperate as found in Colossians 3:21 is erethizo. It means stirup, stimulate or provoke.
Now is the time for Christian fathers to open their eyes to how much damage they can do to their children by their behavior. My prayer is that we will learn to live by the example in Proverbs 22:6: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Hey dad, have you started yet?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 25, 2014 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
It is often thought that mothers are solely responsible for the care and nurturing of their children. This is not biblical and certainly leaves a horrible gap in the care and protection of young children.
Recently I was more than pleased to hear a young father tell about caring for his three year old daughter who was suffering with a cold and fever. He was afraid that he and his wife might not hear her if she called from her bedroom, so he took a blanket and slept on the floor in her room. Oh for more fathers who step out of the modern stereotype role of father and demonstrate godly qualities.
Fathers should go beyond meeting the physical needs of their children and develop spiritual maturity. According to this scripture in 1 Thessalonians, this is done by: “Encouraging, comforting and urging — to live lives worthy of God.”
This is a call for men to step forward and be the example of spiritual leadership in your home. The young father that I mentioned earlier is not only providing for the physical well being of his daughter, he is also training her in the ways of the Lord. I am pleased to say that he is my grandson. Well done Seth!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
