by Pastor Cecil | May 3, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 9:2
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
I am not sure how many of you are familiar with lightning bugs. These small creatures fly around in the dark and frequently emit a flash of light. Coming from the northwest, Joyce and I had heard about them, but had never seen them. Then while serving in the Air Force we were stationed in Missouri where they were abundant.
We had grown accustomed to them and were often fascinated by the way there would be a splash of florescence when one of them would strike the windshield while we were driving. I think the local people had a hard time understanding why we were so interested in “bugs” they had seen all of their lives.
We were living in base housing on Whiteman Air Force Base, when my parents came for a visit. They lived in Idaho and like us, were not familiar with lightning bugs. Whiteman was a missile base and there was a great deal of security.
The first morning after they arrived, my dad was very serious. He said, “Son, we know there are a lot of secret things going on at this base, and if you don’t want to tell us, that’s okay, but are they having some type of maneuvers in the woods behind your house? We saw these strange lights flashing on and off all night long.”
It was hard to keep a straight face as we explained that they were only lightning bugs and there were no secret maneuvers being conducted.
Sometimes we are so unfamiliar with the Word of God that we make spiritual matters seem to be something spooky. The more time we spend with God in His Word and on our knees in prayer, the more we will be able to see His hand at work in our life. I want to see Jesus gleaming bright in our sin darkened world!
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 | Apr 19, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
One of the most frightening episodes of police work is finding an unlocked door of a business establishment. Part of our duty was to check doors on a regular basis and it we found an open door we were to check inside to see if there was an intruder who had made entry.
I recall one such incident when I was cautiously inspecting the inside of a business with my flashlight in one hand and my service revolver in the other. I suddenly came face to face with an armed man with a flashlight. It took only a second of terror to realize that it was me! I was facing a full-length mirror. Wow! What a start that gave me.
The place was empty and I called the owner about the open door. As I waited for him to arrive and lock up, I realized just how quickly we face life and death situations in our life.
Facing the reality of our temporary existence makes us realize that we have a choice. We can live our life in fear and panic or in trusting the Lord to protect us in all situations. I choose to place my trust in the God who is the Blessed Controller of All Things! Praise the lord!
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 | Feb 16, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:2
“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.”
Someone just sent me a picture of homeless people in Haiti. Not only had they lost their home and all of their possessions, but some of their loved ones had suffered injuries with no way to treat them. Think of how little it would take to give them satisfaction.
I can recall some of the small houses we lived in when I was a boy. We were very satisfied with a house with good utilities and a roof over our head. As people moved into better and better houses, our family also upgraded our home.
Across the years I have associated with people who possessed the things of this world that they had paid a dear price for in the attempt to find true satisfaction. Do you want to know something? The material things of this world never brought the satisfaction they were seeking ― it never will!
The Lord calls us to dine at His table and find what will satisfy completely. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means “House of Bread.” How appropriate that He is the One who satisfies the hungering soul completely.
Here is what Jesus says in 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.” Be satisfied today!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 25, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:7-8
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever.”
Do you realize that we are all withering away to dry husks of what we once were? It reminds me of a surprise birthday party my friends prepared for me when I was on the staff of a large church in Idaho. They went all out for silliness and even had saved floral arrangements from months gone by to decorate the table. There were few colors left in the flowers. They were just dried and brown.
I guess that is really descriptive of what each of us has to look forward to. Perhaps I am thinking more along this line since I just received news this afternoon that my only sibling, my brother, Harold, has been diagnosed with leukemia and has only a short time to live.
When my sister-in-law asked him who he wanted to officiate at his service, he replied, “My brother.” That means I will have had the service for our daughter, my mother and all too soon, Harold. But you know what? ― We are all terminal and it is only a whisper of time before we are ushered out of this veil of tears and into the everlasting joy that awaits those who have truly been born again.
We might be nothing more than withered grass or dried flowers, but as we wither, the beauty of Jesus should shine brighter in our life than ever before. It is not how physically attractive we may be, but how much of Jesus is seen through us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 21, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.”
Today, January 21st is my brother’s birthday. It seems to be an appropriate time to have a Daily-E-Votional devoted to cheering up. Isn’t it amazing that when we were kids we could hardly wait to be older ― and now? Well let’s just say that very few of us seniors are saying we are 75 and a half, or whatever!
Today’s Scripture was one I memorized when I was just a boy in Camas, Washington. Over the years I have feasted on the truth of the words and used them as a source of encouragement when we were facing trials of many kinds.
It is of little value to tell someone to cheer up when they are at the low point of their life. It is another thing to share the power of God’s Word as the answer. Any time we feel fear from the attack of the enemy, we can use today’s verse. The Lord assures us that He is with us. “I [am] with thee.”
Any time we tend to feel depressed we need to remind ourselves that we serve a mighty God who is more powerful than any force in the universe. Our God wants us to know that He is our God and that He will be our strength and shield. Praise the Lord for that assurance!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 16, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 9:2
“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
I can recall as boy (it is getting harder and harder to remember that far back) singing a kid’s song, “This little light of mine.” Light has always been an interesting subject for me. All through Scripture we read references to the term “light” and, as near as I can tell, there are 272 references to “light” in the King James Version.
Last Friday marked the first day of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah (The Festival of Lights). I fear that most people fail to understand its meaning and significance. In 165 B.C. the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism a punishable offense. He even desecrated the Temple by offering a swine on the altar.
Antiochus was killed, but the Temple had been defiled and required ritual cleansing. Consecrated olive oil was needed for the eternal flame, but they found only enough of the consecrated oil for one day. The problem was that it required eight days to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil for the eternal flame — the people needed a miracle and God provided it. In a miraculous manner, the flame continued to burn for the full eight days on the one-day supply of oil, after which the Temple was dedicated.
It is interesting to read in John 10:22-23, that Jesus traveled to Jerusalem in winter to be present for the celebration of the Feast of Dedication. Our miracle-working Savior authenticated and blessed the Feast by his presence. We need a miracle in our own day. We need the oil in our lamps to burn bright and remain until He comes again. What a day that will be!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
