by Pastor Cecil | May 17, 2012 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
One of the great joys of growing older is the blessing of observing the growth of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I was just thinking about how quickly they grow and mature. As babies they are encouraged to eat and gain weight as soon as possible. As we grow older we are told to slow down and get rid of some of that excess baggage. For some of us it is harder than for others.
Over the years my heart has been grieved when I meet people I have known in the past. The grief does not come because I see they’ve grown older, but that they have not grown spiritually. A conversation about the things of the Lord seems to produce a glazed look or even disinterest. They are still spiritual babes. Thank the Lord there are other people I meet who have grown deep in the things of the Lord and are eager to share a testimony of how God led and directed them in areas of service they could never have imagined. They grew!
In today’s Scripture, Paul urges us to grow—not merely physical growth, but the kind of growth that really matters . . . growth in grace and in the knowledge of our precious Lord and Savior. Someone has defined the word grace as God’s unmerited favor at Christ’s expense. In my mind we can never use mere knowledge as a measure of true spiritual growth. Facts and figures lack the life that produces growth. On the other hand, when we are immersed in God’s pure grace, it is like feeding on manna from on high. Let us grow,dear brothers and sisters!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 4, 2011 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 2:19
“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.”
As a Juvenile Probation Officer, I heard my probationers speak of looking forward to the day when they could get away from their parents’ influence and do what they wanted to do. As a Commissioned Officer working as Personnel Officer on a Basic Training Base, I heard young airmen saying that they could hardly wait to get finished with their training so they could do whatever they wanted to do.
Do you see the thread here? Freedom is identified in the minds of many (if not most) as the right to do whatever they want. It is this very attitude that has led to problems of every description. Homes have been broken and lives shattered because people felt that their chief aim was to have the freedom to do whatever they wanted to do.
Before we jump to conclusions about such irrational thinking, we must stop and ask ourselves if we are guilty of the same thing. Do we feel that things will be better if we can just get out from under our present circumstance? Do we feel that we are limited in what we can do because of some negative situation?
God’s faithful servants across the ages have endured trials and tribulations of every shape and size. God could have delivered them at anytime, but His desire is that we serve Him right where we are.
One of the most meaningful things I recall from attending a seminar taught by Bill Gothard. Bill was used of God to design the Institute In Basic Life Principles. His statement during one of the sessions was that we use whatever situation we are in to serve the Lord. Rather than seeking freedom by escaping from a difficult situation, we should seek to discover how to serve the Lord right where He has placed us. Try it!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 28, 2010 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 3:8-9
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Do you ever feel that you are lagging behind the times? I was recently thinking about the many changes in technology. Just in the recording field I have found myself out of step. I recall purchasing a new 78 rpm record player only to learn that almost all new records were being produced for the new 33 1/3 rpm format. Rats!
You guessed it ― I bought a new player that played both 78 and 33 1/3 rpm records. Ha! I will fool them, or so I thought. The recording industry seemed to be working against me. They came out with something called reel-to-reel recording. Just as I had my new reel-to-reel unit they came out with compact discs. I am so out of date that I think I will go back to my old 78 rpm!
I am so glad that the Word of God is never changing. There are some who have tried to modernize it and restructure it to fit their lifestyles, but I am here to tell you that it is they who need to change, not God’s infallible Word. God said it, I believe it, that’s good enough for me.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 24, 2010 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 3:18
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
Years ago I heard Dr. W.A. Criswell, pastor of Dallas First Baptist Church, tell the story of two men who were sitting at a bar arguing about which of them was the most spiritual. That presents an interesting picture doesn’t it?
$10 to Quote the Lord's Prayer
As both of them became more and more inebriated, their argument became more and more heated. Finally one of the men placed a bet that the other man did not even know the Lord’s Prayer. His opponent accepted the wager and started out. “Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” As he finished, the first man gave him the $10.00 and said, “I had no idea you would know the Lord’s Prayer!”
How sad it is that so many people know so little about God’s Word. The reason is that they spend so little time in reading and studying God’s infallible Word. In order to grow in God’s grace we have to grow in the knowledge of God’s word to mankind.
Here is the bottom line: What are you and I doing to grow in the knowledge of God’s Word? How much time do we devote each day to reading our Bible? What Bible studies are we enrolled in to increase our knowledge? It’s very thought provoking isn’t it?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 20, 2009 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 2:15
“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.”
The story is told of a young man who had a fervent desire to serve the Lord. For a time he was completely committed to obey God’s Word without compromise. As frequently happens, he was confronted with a questionable activity. He decided to do the right thing and pray about it.
As he brought the activity before the Lord and ask if he might do it, he heard the Holy Spirit shout; NO! He waited several days and asked the Lord again. He heard the Holy Spirit speak; No! He waited a few more days and again prayed. He heard the Holy Spirit whisper; No! A few days later when he asked the same question he heard nothing, so he joyfully engaged in an activity that led him away from the Lord and into great heartache.
Can you relate to that? It was not that the Holy Spirit stopped speaking or relented, it was that our heart can become hardened and callous so that we can no longer hear. Perhaps we even begin to convince ourselves that the Lord is pleased with what we are doing.
Mark this down—God does not change! If He says that something is contrary to His Word, will and way—it will remain contrary to His Word, will and way. It does not matter that some church council will approve sinful activity—if it is not in accordance with God’s Word, it is sin and will always be sin.
This do-as-you-feel-like-doing society has torpedoed far too many believers. We must never allow the appeal of this world’s values to draw us away from God’s best for our life. Balaam compromised God’s direction and instead chose the paltry riches of this world. He could have had so much more eternal wealth if he had obeyed God! That applies to all of us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 24, 2009 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 1:2-4
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”
How long has it been since someone treated you with brotherly kindness? How long has it been since you treated others with brotherly kindness? In this dog-eat-dog world we live in, kindness is often considered weakness.
Our Scripture adds more to the equation. We are to follow-up brotherly kindness with love. This is not self-serving love, but a love that transcends this world and becomes an offering to the Lord.
In 1856, Elizabeth Prentiss was experiencing an extended period of illness. During her long period of debilitation she penned the words to the hymn, More Love to Thee. The words were meant for her own worship. She did not even share them with her husband for about thirteen years. He encouraged her to publish them. Howard Doane saw the pamphlet Elizabeth published and wrote the music.
“More Love to Thee“
More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee.
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best.
This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Let sorrow do its work, come grief or pain;
Sweet are Thy messengers, sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Then shall my latest breath whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry my heart shall raise;
This still its prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
To access More Love to Thee, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/morelovetothee in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
