by Pastor Cecil | Mar 10, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 11:31
“Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.”
There is a small town in the State of Oregon named Halfway. As near as I have been able to discern, the name was given because it was halfway between two other small towns, Pine and Cornucopia.
It is one thing to speak of a place being halfway between two locations, but when a person’s goals are involved, it is another matter. Perhaps most of us know of people who have a goal to achieve something great for the Lord . . . but only make it halfway.
Abraham’s father was Terah. He set out to go to the land of Canaan, but when he came to a city called Haran he settled there. We are not told why Terah settled short of his goal, but he ended his life far from the land he had intended to reach.
I wonder how many of us have been called by God to accomplish a certain task. We have every intention of doing what God says, but we wake up one morning and realize that we have settled far from God’s objective for us. It is never too late to make a new commitment and seek God’s direction. Once we find His will, we need to press on until we reach our goal.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 5, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 24:48-49
“And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
I once was asked to officiate at a wedding in a large city. The venue where the wedding was to take place had been in use earlier that day, so we could not have a rehearsal. I had left in plenty of time (or so I thought) to locate the building. Unfortunately, the directions just happened to have omitted one left turn, which made them useless.
If you have ever been in a strange city trying to find your way to an unknown destination, you need help. Time after time I would stop and ask for directions only to be told that they had never heard of the place. I finally located the building and found that we were going to be starting late because others could not find their way either.
In today’s Scripture, Abraham’s servant had been sent on a special mission to go to the land of his master’s family to select a bride for Isaac, Abraham’s son. He had no idea how to find the right one, so he prayed for God’s direction. It would be the young woman who would offer him a drink and also to water his camels.
The test did not seem like very much, but it demonstrated a complete trust in God to lead him to the correct maiden. Rebecca was God’s choice and He led the servant to complete his mission. When we have decisions to make, it is always wise to pray for the Lord to guide us. He will never fail if we keep our eyes on Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 29, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 4:7
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Yesterday I wrote about having Bible study with inmates at the Idaho State Penitentiary back when I was Deputy Director of the Idaho Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Planning Commission. It was refreshing to be around offenders willing to admit their crimes and be able to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives.
There was one inmate that I will always remember. His name was Virgil. My wife, Joyce, worked for the Warden and Virgil was assigned to clean their office area. She always remarked about how impressed she was with this older man. One day Virgil asked if I might be able to help him get a parole. When I asked him why I should help him, he replied that he did not want to die in prison. Now in his sixties, this man had been in jail or prison for almost all of his life. I did help Virgil and after his release he was hired to clean our building in downtown Boise.
I made a point of inviting Virgil to drop by my office at lunch time, and we discussed eternity. I pray that Virgil truly made a decision for Christ because only a few months after his release from prison, he died in his sleep.
Sometimes the opportunities of sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the lost may take unexpected turns. While we are not responsible for the way people will react to our message, we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. There are many reasons why formerly hard hearts may suddenly be open to the Word. Lead on, Lord Jesus, and give us wise discernment.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 28, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 4:7
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Isn’t it strange the way our sinful minds work? Our old sinful nature is so self absorbed that even when we do something wrong we try to rationalize our way out of it. Generally, we just do not want to admit that we are wrong.
In my years of experience in the field of law enforcement, I have observed and been involved in many court cases. Almost always, the offender denies the charge. Any officer who stops a driver he suspects of being intoxicated is quite often met with the claim that he (or she) “only had two drinks.”
More serious offenses that go to trial require much evidence and often a jury trial to find the offender guilty. The judge then pronounces the sentence for the guilty party.
I have had a unique opportunity to meet with a group of sentenced offenders who faced many years behind bars. Such a group of men came to know the Lord, and we regularly met for Bible study inside the walls of the Idaho State Penitentiary. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to hear these men openly confess their offenses and tell how Jesus had come into their hearts to give them new lives. They were quick to point out that they had done wrong and wanted to encourage others to turn from the path they had taken.
I will continue this message tomorrow.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 22, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 50:16-17
“So they sent word to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father left these instructions before he died: {This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.} ‘Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.’ When their message came to him, Joseph wept.”
It may come as a shock to you, but I have been guilty of some things the Lord made me aware of and people have been hurt by my actions. I have always attempted to ask to be forgiven. In most cases forgiveness has been given, but in others there remained anger and resentment.
In many cases when we hurt someone the only thing we are able to do is to confess it to God and also confess it to the one or ones who have been hurt. If they accept our confession we can have restoration of our relationship. The most difficult thing is when they say they forgive, but refuse to forget. It is almost as if they are crouching in the shadows waiting for us to sin again.
I once heard the story of a man who had been unfaithful to his wife. He came to his senses and begged her to forgive him. She told him he would have to earn her forgiveness. Year after year he took her abuse and bitterness. She became gravely ill and he was attentive to her every need. When she finally recovered she told him that she now forgave him. He told her that it was too late to forgive him. He had paid for his unfaithfulness by serving her and that he was leaving. How sad!
Joseph had forgiven his brothers long before they came to ask his forgiveness. It was because of the plan God had for them that he had suffered as a slave. He was a wonderful example of what it means to forgive and then forget. Can you?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 13, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 42:21
“They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.’”
This is not a comfortable E-Votional for me to write as I remember just a few short months ago placing a small crystal bell beside Joyce’s bed. Many times I would be busy writing or working on Bible study when I would hear the “tinkle-tinkle” of that little bell.
I have to confess I sometimes grumbled about the interruption. When Joyce asked for a dish of frozen yogurt or something of that nature, I wondered why she could not get up and get it herself. At that time I had no idea that her uncharacteristic behavior was one of the first signs of the disease.
Today this precious wife of mine lies on a hospital bed in our living room. Now most of the time, she is not even able to speak. As I looked down on her last night, she was talking with people in her past but could not be awakened to the present. Tears flooded my eyes, even as they do now…How I long to be interrupted by the sound of that bell one more time.
God’s call to us is like the sounding of a bell. He calls us to turn from the things of this world and serve Him. How sad it is that we are often so busy with our little pet interests that we become irritated by the Holy Spirit’s prompting. One of the things I am learning through this valley of trial is to stay close to the Lord, and when He calls be ready to respond.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
