by Pastor Cecil | Jul 1, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
John 17:20-21
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”
There was a time when athletes from a locality would compete with individuals or teams from other areas. Non-participants would gather to cheer their team and from time-to-time belittle the opponents.
That was in the “good old days” when things were more innocent. Such is not the case in the world of modern athletic endeavors. In our day “Our Team” may be composed of members from hundreds or thousands of miles away. “Our Team” has become a business venture and huge prices are paid for members of “Our Team” who act as if they are prima-donnas.
I have a hard time dealing with professional athletic teams, but universities have fallen into the quagmire of drawing players from far and wide by offering incentives that are too good to turn down. They may never have lived in our area, but they are “Our Team”. (Stop the ranting and raving, Cecil!)
One of my greatest delights is reading responses from around the globe. I was amazed when the first responses from out of state came in back in September 2000, then from out of the country a few days later. Now there is virtually no country on earth that has not been touched with this ministry.
Please! Please! Let me emphasize that you are not on my team, but that together we are members of God’s team. Not only that, God calls us to get into the game and contend for the faith.
When Jesus gave His Life for us, He purchased us by His precious blood. We receive the instructions about being effective members of the team in God’s Word. It is sad that many Christians spend very little time studying the Word.
Modern day professional players are paid huge salaries. The more they are paid the more they want. As members of God’s team we may never receive a large salary. In fact we may even experience suffering and death. But we will receive our greatest reward when we hear the Lord say to us: “Well done—God and faithful servant!”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 30, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Exodus 13:3
“And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.”
A few minutes ago I was holding a family history of the Thompson family which stretches back to the 1700’s in Ulster, Northern Ireland. I am sure you have seen photographs taken back in that era. It seemed to be a sin to smile, so there are a lot of somber looking saints (or sinners) looking into the lens of the camera. I came to realize that I have a rich heritage of Bible believing forebears.
It has caused me to consider the idea of remembering. There is great value in remembering some things and harm in recalling others. I think of Hebrews chapter eleven where we are reminded of the heroes of faith that have gone before us: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Sampson and David as well as others who willingly died for their faith. It is good to remember that these people were not plaster saints, but living breathing (and in some cases dying saints of the Most High God).
The children of Israel had experienced a wonderful miracle in their deliverance. God brought them out with great wealth and provided them with His divine protection. The miracle of the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire be night was only the beginning.
He parted the Red Sea so they could cross on dry ground, but closed the same waters on the advancing Egyptian army so that their enemies were completely destroyed. He provided water in a dry desert land, and fed them with manna and quail. There were many other miracles as well.
The day of deliverance was a great day to be remembered, but there was also a land to be possessed. On the boarder of the land flowing with milk and honey, they believed the report of ten spies instead of trusting God to fulfill His promise to them. THEY HAD A DAY TO REMEMBER, BUT THEY DID NOT POSSESS THE LAND GOD HAD GIVEN THEM!
That entire generation of fearful Israelites perished in the hot dry sands of the desert without possessing the land that was theirs by God’s decree. They died remembering but not possessing. How about you? Are you spending your days remembering the past or serving in the present?
I pray that we may look forward in expectation to possess all that the Lord has prepared for us. May we gain inspiration from the prayer that Jabez prayed in I Chronicles 4:10: “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 27, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Philippians 4:12-13
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Two things happened today that started my mind to kick into gear. The first was a conversation with a close friend. He mentioned a middle-aged woman who works where he does. He made the comment that she is never contented. There is always something else that she buys or does in order to feel satisfied.
Just an hour later Joyce and I visited with my cousin and her husband from Idaho. Her husband mentioned that he had put together some 400 pictures to illustrate our family history. He went to their car and brought me a DVD that contained this extensive work.
As he explained the work that had been required to put the presentation together, I realized what a precious gift he had given me. It even had pictures of some of my family stretching back into the 1700’s.
I slipped in my DVD player when I returned home. It was a thrilling experience to see the face of family members that I had never seen before as well as those who lived in my own lifetime and had been a part of our family gatherings.
As I viewed pictures from the early 1900’s and forward, I noticed how small the houses were. Some were just a few rooms, yet I knew that large families had been raised in those tiny abodes, and never did I hear my elders complain that they had to find a larger place to live.
As I reflect on these two occurrences I pause to wonder why we modern folks, with all of the modern conveniences, seem so discontent. What does it take for you and I to have that feeling of satisfaction that can best be expressed as: AHHHH!
Instead of experiencing the peace that passes all understanding, I think we have fallen into the murky pit of envy and greed. We observe someone who has have something bigger, better or newer, and we just to have it or we will never be satisfied. I am here to tell you that the things of this world will never satisfy.
Paul, in writing to the Christians in Philippi, shares his personal testimony. In today’s Scripture Paul reminds them, and us, that he has experienced periods of deprivation and suffering as well as times of abundance. Neither, “being in want” or “having plenty”, has anything to do with contentment.
So what is the secret that Paul wants us to know about achieving that feeling of contentment in our lives? He gives us the secret in verse 13. “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Once again I am struck by how hard we strive to amass things that will pass away, but ignore the simple and true Word of God. I may never have the riches of this world, but I have wealth beyond human imagination. It is waiting for me in glory! AHHH!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 26, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
2 Kings 6:16-7
“‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
The beginning and ending of vision rests with God! That is essential to keep in mind at all times. In fact, as I mentioned in yesterday’s E-Votional, God is always with us as we experience the death of our original vision. Why is it necessary to experience the death of a vision? So that we may observe that it is the power of God working in and through us, and not what we ourselves are accomplishing.
Elisha saw what his servant could not see. His vision was spiritual and inspired faith. The servant saw only the enemy and that spelled defeat and death. Elisha saw that God was in and over all and that spelled victory and life! What is your vision? Are you looking at victory or defeat?
Let’s go back to the first illustration I gave two days ago—Abraham. God gave Abraham a vision that he would be the father of a great nation and possess a great land. It seems that Abraham was more committed to the promise than he was to the God who had given the promise. You may recall that he took Hagar, the handmaiden of his wife Sarah, and she bore him a son. This son was his son of the flesh, Ishmael. Ishmael became the father of the Ishmaelites, who became the Arabs, who have been the enemies of the people of promise, even to this very day.
It is so easy to get focused on a vision or a promise and get our eyes off of the God who is the giver of visions and promises. It is then that the Lord puts His children to the test. It is not necessarily to punish, but rather to prove one’s commitment.
Abraham and Sarah were finally blessed with their son of the vision. It must have seemed to Abraham that all was right with his world. What more could an old man, over 100 years of age, ask for? He watched his son, Isaac, grow before his eyes, and life was sweet. It was then that he heard from God. God called him to offer his son on the altar of sacrifice. When Abraham obeyed and was ready to offer Isaac up, God provided the lamb for sacrifice. He had passed the test.
Moses was another illustration that I used in this study on visions. Throughout the days of the Exodus, he experienced a series of visions, deaths of visions, and rebirths of vision. God provided such miracles that it is hard to take it all in. Let me just try to recall a few off the top of my head. The plagues that were called down because of Pharaoh’s hardness; the Egyptians giving gifts to the departing Hebrew slaves; the pillar of cloud and fire; the parting of the Red Sea which became a means of deliverance for the Israelites and a sea of death for the army of Egypt; the sweetening of the bitter waters of Mara; water from the rock; victory over the enemies who attacked them; the supernatural provision of food; the clothing and shoes that did not wear out for forty years.
From death to life, over and over again! What a story! But Moses failed the test of calling forth water from the rock, and instead, in anger struck the rock twice with his staff. He was not allowed to enter the land of promise, but God showed him the land before he died.
There is another expression of vision being restored to Moses. In the Gospels we read of the transfiguration of Jesus. On the mountain with Peter, James and John, two Old Testament characters appeared: Moses and Elijah. Moses was in the land of his promise, but much more than that, he was with Jesus Christ, the One who brings us all a vision that will last through all eternity.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 25, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Exodus 5:4-8
“That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: ‘You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'”
The birth of our vision is often accompanied by a mighty—Ooops! We are all fired up when the vision is fresh and new, but almost without warning things explode. Instead of seeing our vision fulfilled, it is like death has destroyed the vision. “What do we do now?”
Moses had the vision of leading his people out of bondage to the land God had promised them. I am sure he had visions of Pharaoh being ready to let the people go. Instead, their workload was increased. Now he was in the middle. He was the enemy of Pharaoh for being God’s messenger of deliverance, and also now not too popular with his own people since he had just increased their toil and hardship.
I can almost hear Moses looking toward heaven and crying out at the top of his voice, “Stop the world, I want to get off!” That was not an option that God had given to him. The purpose of the vision was still there—the timing was not yet fulfilled.
It is important for us to realize that the men and women of the Bible were no plaster saints. They had all of the human emotions that we have today. Their sense of loss and frustration was every bit as devastating as our bitter pills.
Yesterday I also spoke about the vision which God had given to Abraham. It sounded wonderful when it was given, but the death of Abraham’s vision was the realization that both he and Sarah, his wife, were far past the child-producing age. All that was left of his forest of God’s promise was just dead timber. Each passing year only drove another nail into the coffin of his vision of fatherhood.
Joseph had a vision of being a son that was honored by his brothers. The death of his vision was being sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into a prison, forgotten by Pharaoh’s butler, who had made a promise to mention his false imprisonment. It was like he experienced death after death.
There is a truth that rings loud and clear in all of these illustrations of death. It is not the end!!! I love a quote that Sir Winston Churchill made after the Germans had given up their plans for the invasion of Great Britain. Sir Winston said something like this: “This is not the end! This is not the beginning of the end! But this is the end of the beginning!”
In the lives of God’s precious people there will be shattered dreams and the death of a vision. This is almost a certainty. Perhaps the only time we will not encounter them is when we have no vision in the first place. That is the real tragedy in the life of a Christian. We have to have a birth of vision in order to encounter death, and without death, there is no resurrection of the vision.
Please do not experience depression after reading today’s E-Votional. We are about to share the pure joy that God gives as He brings supernatural life into that vision once considered dead. God wants to make sure that it is dead from our human standpoint, so we will not take the credit and become proud. It is to His glory that the vision will be resurrected. Just wait until tomorrow!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 24, 2008 | Daily-E-Votionals
Genesis 13:14-18
“And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had parted from him, ‘Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.’ So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.”
In the next few days, I would like to direct our attention to three aspects of vision. Not the vision that we are able to correct with glasses, but the type that is spiritual in nature. I have mentioned before that in my messages on Sundays, I try to focus on the kids. It serves to remind me of the importance of keeping things simple. That is my calling, my desire, and my prayer.
The three aspects of vision are: God’s vision for us; The death of the vision; and God’s provision of a new vision. Let’s consider the first for today – GOD’S VISION FOR US.
In Proverbs 29:18, we are reminded that people perish without a vision. We only have to look around us to see that this is so true. We can pick up a newspaper, listen to the radio or watch the television programming and see that we live in a world without vision. Oh, yes, people can see, but they all too often lack a vision of real purpose.
Let me share two quick illustrations that I will use in all three aspects of vision. The first is given here in Genesis 13, where Abram (later to be called Abraham by God), was given a vision of great promise. God promised him modern day Israel as an eternal possession. It was given by God. The Arabs can protest, but they had better realize that the One who the gave deed to the land was the creator and owner of the universe—that includes the Land of Promise.
Not only did God give Abram a vision of the land, He also gave him a vision of heritage. His offspring would be so numerous that they were likened to the dust of the earth. God told him that if people could count the dust, they could count his seed.
Some might be tempted to jump to the conclusion that this speaks only of the Jews. If we look in Galatians 3:29, we will see that all of us who are in Christ Jesus (born again), are Abraham’s seed. Just think, God was talking about you and me!
This then, is the vision that was given to Abraham. Can you just imagine the excitement that he must have felt after this vision? This man with no children and no property was given the title deed to a vision of greatness. Wow! His smile must have spread from ear to ear!
Let’s leave Abram with his smile, and fast forward more than 400 years, to the time of Moses. In the book of Exodus, we are told of how the people of Abraham’s vision were living in slavery. We read of the miraculous way Moses was discovered in the bulrushes of the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter. She took him as her own, even though he was one of the despised Hebrews.
When Moses grew into adulthood, he determined to make things easier for his people. It didn’t work, and he was forced to flee for his life. He went to Moab where he stayed for 40 years before he received his “vision.” This time it was given from a burning bush in Exodus 3-4.
God gave Moses a wonderful vision. The vision was one of a nation of slaves being set free. No, it was more than being simply set free. They would suddenly find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians who would give them great wealth as they left.
That is a mighty vision! It is a vision without human precedent—it was and is beyond human understanding. Did I say that? That was not me, so I want to think about it. If there is something that we have never encountered before, or read about before, or heard about before, it is beyond our level of understanding. That is the time to trust God, not doubt!
To sum it up for today, we have two men who had received great and wonderful promises. The same God had opened their eyes to see what was going to happen in their lifetime. They only had to keep their eyes on the One who had given the vision. Ooops! That’s where the problem always starts for all of us. We will look at that tomorrow.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
