by Pastor Cecil | Jan 28, 2014 | Mark
Mark 9:50
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.
There is a wonderful illustration that goes something like this: “While it is true that you can lead a horse to water, you can’t make him drink . . . but you can salt his oats!” I cannot begin to tell you the number of times that illustration has come to my mind since I first heard it.
Some of us in Christian ministry wear ourselves out trying to force people to drink when they show no inclination and, in fact, refuse to drink. We heap on guilt or glitter, but there are still no slurping sounds. What is the answer? SALT THE OATS! Right! How do we do that? It is a good question and deserves careful consideration.
Salt is very valuable and has been used across the centuries for many purposes. It was used to preserve foods, season foods, and for its medicinal qualities. In Roman times, the soldiers were paid in salt. That is where the word salary came from. When you hear the expression, “He’s not worth his salt,” it refers to the payment in salt that was received.
With that bit of information in mind, in what way can we become salty Christians? I have two unrelated word pictures that may be of assistance. Have you ever been in a room full of people and pretended to be yawning? Do you know what happens? Others start yawning themselves. Perhaps you could say that you “salted” the yawn reflex.
The second word picture is encouraging reluctant youngsters to eat by eating with great relish ourselves. “Hmmmm! That is so good! I’m going to eat some more! Do you want to try some too?” I want to tell you it works better than saying, “Eat your veggies! There are starving children in the world who would love them!” Our kids used to reply, “Please send my veggies to them.”
In today’s Scripture, Jesus says that we are to have salt in us. I take that to mean that we are to be so full of Him that we are salt to those around us. In Colossians 4:6, Paul admonishes: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
There is no way we can live indifferent Christian lives and be salt and light to those around us. If we do that, we have lost our saltiness and no longer possess the appeal that will draw others to walk close to Christ.
Are you salting the oats of those you come in contact with? Are you creating such a desire that people must drink from God’s well that never will run dry? Spend time in God’s Word and see the thrill that will make you want more and more of Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 27, 2014 | John
John 14:1-3
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.
What would you say if you knew it would be the last words you will ever speak this side of eternity? Not only what would you say, but who would you say it to? Would it be a family member or a business associate?
If you knew it would be the last time you ever had to share the gospel with a lost person, would you have the courage to do so? Many times the hesitance in sharing is more procrastination than anything else. But what if our hesitance cost that loved an eternity in heaven?
I had a high school classmate who became very successful. He was a bank manager of a small town bank. I was traveling on business to that town and we met for lunch. With tears in his eyes he shared how he had been intending to witness to the high school football coach. They met every week, but he had postponed sharing the gospel. A few days before we shared our lunch, the coach had a heart attack and died.
His sorrow was not in simply losing a friend, but due to his never giving the man an opportunity to receive Jesus before it was too late. Are there individuals in your life who need to hear the gospel or just to hear a word of encouragement? We never know how near eternity is. What will your last words be?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 24, 2014 | Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Years ago I heard a minister tell of an incident in a hospital elevator where he had just come from visiting a very ill patient. A young man overheard him speak about eternity and, perhaps wanting to mock his view, asked the minister where eternity was. The minister told the boy to place his hand on his chest to feel the beat of his heart. “Young man, eternity is one heartbeat away!” That may answer where eternity is or at least how close we are to it, but just how long is eternity?
Our daughter was in the hospital near death. One afternoon as the two of us spoke quietly, she said she felt she was cheated out of half of her life. She went on to say that Grandpa was 74 when he died and here she was just 35.
That evening as I drove into the garage I noticed that the car had been bringing in sand. I took out a sheet of typing paper and swept up some of the sand. I then sat at the kitchen table and counted out 74 grains. Some were larger than others, but all of them were quite small. I placed the 74 grains of sand in a tiny sample perfume bottle.
The next day as I entered her room I placed the bottle on her bed. When she asked what it was I told her it was Grandpa. I asked her to imagine the earth being nothing but fine sand. Each grain represented one year of eternity. The 74 grains in the bottle represented Grandpa’s life. Compared to the entire globe of sand it was nothing. Whether a person’s life lasted long or short, compared to eternity it was nothing.
It is what we do with the years we are given that matters. We can choose to confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior or we can continue our own willful way and suffer the dreadful consequences prepared for the lost.
I pray that the video that accompanies today’s Daily-E-Votional will assist you in making the right choice. Please feel free to share it with others while there is still time.
To view the video The Sands of Eternity, go to www.PastorCecil.com.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 23, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 119:103-105
How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
As I write this, we are under a temperature inversion for our area. Just what is a temperature inversion? I am not a meteorologist, but as I understand it, it is when the temperature is warmer at higher elevations than it is on the ground. This produces air stagnation and often very foggy conditions.
Years ago, when we were living in Idaho, Joyce and I were on our way to call on a couple who lived on the edge of town. The closer we got to their house, the denser the fog. It became so thick that I had to use the edge of the road to see where I was going. Fortunately, I had been to the house before and, by following the posted signs, we safely arrived at the destination.
I see a striking parallel with the phenomenon of temperature inversion to our walk with the Lord. Naturally, it is warmer the higher we ascend to the heart of God. The lower we descend into our own sinful ways, the more we experience a spiritual inversion. The path is blurred and we grope in the fog of our own self will.
I am not sure what the weather is like in your area, but I pray that your spiritual life may be free of any sort of inversion. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you and lead you to His perfect day!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 22, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Sometimes we seem to have the idea that we are the ones who control our own destiny. In some sense this may be true, but it usually leads to catastrophe. Regardless of what the positive thinkers may teach, we will always fall short if we rely only on our own resources.
It is easier to say that we allow God to control our life than to act upon it. We have the best intentions of allowing the Lord to open doors and move mountains. Then we open our eyes to the fact that we have taken over the operation and have not consulted Him.
The way God communicates with us is primarily through His Word. Those who try to rely on visions or signs are easy prey to the enemy. They are also apt to lead the immature believers to follow them instead of seeking answers from the Lord Himself.
One passage has become a constant guide in my personal walk with the Lord. It is found in Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
