by Pastor Cecil | Sep 15, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 6:2
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Sometimes it seems that we are carrying more load than we are able to bear. It may even seem that our load is heavier than those around us. It is hard enough to struggle with our own load, but we chafe when someone pours their load on us.
My dear friend Fred sent me this humorous story a few days ago. I think it is worthy of my sharing it for today’s E-Votional.
“My son was about 10 years old when he joined some of my family on a 5 day hike through the Cascade Mountains. Everyone, including my son, carried heavy backpacks of gear. The first day was rough so before anyone else was awake the next morning my son secretly slipped his heavy gear into some of the other’s packs and replaced it with lighter things like bread. He got away with it . . . for awhile. Until we discovered his trick and evened the loads.
So often in life we carry the weight of others unknowingly. It catches up with us and drags the life out of us. My suggestion is that if you’re going to share each other’s burdens, do it willingly and with joy. You will be blessed. And if you’re feeling down and troubled . . . check your backpack. You may be carrying a load the Lord never intended you to carry, or there may burdens He wants you to carry.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 30, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”
It is that special time of year when the fruit ripens on the trees … sweet, delicious, and ready to eat. It makes my mouth water just thinking of a perfectly ripe and juicy peach! I know, however, that in just a few short weeks the weather will turn bitterly cold and throughout the months of winter, this tree that now produces such tasty fruit will stand stark and bare, naked of its delicious produce.
God promises us a fruit of the Spirit that never passes away! The fruit that we read about in today’s Scripture is a fruit that meets the deepest needs of the human soul. It is fruit that produces life.
Years ago I was teaching a Sociology class at Boise State. With about 120 indifferent students staring at me, I gave them their first assignment — to write the three things they desired most in their life. To be sure, there were a few ridiculous answers, but a wide majority listed the first three fruits of the Spirit: LOVE, JOY, PEACE.
People seek these attributes in many different ways, and quite a few of those ways are detrimental to themselves and others. The fruit that God promises, however, will always produce a spirit that brings comfort and healing to ourselves as well as others. Get God’s fresh fruit!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 4, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 1:10
“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
When you lift your head from the pillow each morning, what motivates you to get up? What is your purpose in life? When you fluff up your pillow and snuggle down at the end of each day, what purpose did you fulfill for the Lord that day?
There is a quote attributed to Lewis Carrol that contains a basic truth that is both meaningful and sobering: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
I fear there are many people going through life with no idea where they are heading. Many, if not most people, feel that they are in control and what they think is what will determine their eternal destiny. They say there is no God and act as if that makes it a reality.
That makes no sense. Someone may claim that all water is the same. They dip their hand in a bowl of lukewarm water and believe they have proved their point. Try submerging your hand in boiling water and their argument is … in hot water!
God has a purpose that He beckons us to follow. Read today’s Scripture once again and find God’s purpose for your life.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 2, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 6:7
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
When I was a County Juvenile Probation Officer, I often accompanied one of the Deputy Sheriffs on patrol. On one occasion we were stopped by a road construction crew. The flagger seemed interested in talking to us since we were in a marked police vehicle.
We had been stopped for about five minutes when another car approached. The flagman waved his stop sign, but the car plowed into the back of our vehicle propelling us about twenty feet. Fortunately the deputy had the vehicle in “neutral” rather than “park” or we may have suffered injuries.
The driver of the other car was extremely intoxicated and began to scream at the top of her lungs, “He didn’t stignal! He didn’t stignal!” (Yes, that is the way she said it). She repeated this over and over, even when the local Police agency came and arrested her for drunk driving.
There are many warnings in God’s Word that people ignore to their own peril. In today’s Scripture we are reminded once again of that truth. It is like the old railroad crossing signs that clearly alerted drivers to STOP! LOOK! and LISTEN! It certainly applies in our spiritual life!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 19, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 3:2-3
“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
I can almost remember my childhood days. Believe me they are far back in my rear view mirror. One thing I do recall is having arguments with other my brother or other kids and using the phrase; “Why don’t you?” The reply was usually; “Well, why don’t you?”
Unfortunately this same argument is often carried into married life. Many times I have tried to counsel couples who seem to be stuck in the same childhood rut of argumentation. It never seems to resolve their problems.
I have tried to counsel couples who are caught in this whirlpool of conflict to replace the phrase with, “How can I?” What a difference it makes to offer to make a change in one’s own life rather than demanding the other person make a change.
This is even more significant when it comes to our relationship with God. Let’s face it, there many times when we want God to do the changing. We pray that same question; “God why don’t You?” We want God to do the changing to meet our own desires. If we truly accept what Paul is writing in today’s Scripture, we will be prepared to ask Him, “Lord, how can I?”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 18, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 3:2-3
“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
I remember working with my dad building houses. Sometimes when we were fitting pieces of framing together, the ends might be a fraction of an inch off. I would hear my dad say, “Good enough.” I fear that many people are prone to apply that same attitude to their spiritual lives.
Just what is good enough in the spiritual realm? The answer is perfection. The second question is whose perfection? It is certainly not ours. I have known thousands of people in my life and not one of them was or is perfect. There are some who seem to believe that they are perfect, but just spend time with them … you will see the truth!
My dear friend Mike Keller works in prison ministry in Florida. He always asks his group this question: Do you think you can be good enough to make it to heaven? Most inmates raise their hands to answer “Yes.” Then Mike tells them that it is not possible to be good enough and goes on to explain the plan of salvation to them.
It is not our perfection that we need, but the perfection of Christ. He paid it all in our behalf. We can never be good enough in ourselves, but Jesus was good enough for all of us. We need His goodness to provide us with salvation.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
