by Pastor Cecil | Jan 9, 2019 | James
James 1:4
“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
I once heard a story of a new pastor of a small congregation. One day he decided that the piano belonged on the opposite side of the church, so he moved it. This caused such a stir amongst the members that he had to leave the church, and the piano was moved back into its original location.
Sometime later the pastor visited his former church and, to his amazement, the piano was sitting where he had wanted to place it. When he asked the new pastor how he had accomplished the task, he was informed that all it took was … an inch a week.
There was a time in my life when I wondered if I had what it took to stay focused over a long period of time. Looking back over the past eighteen years I realize that the accomplishment of writing well over 6,000 Daily-E-Votionals simply boils down to doing it one Daily-E-Votional at a time.
My prayer is that each of us will realize that God does not call us to be spectacular in our service for Him. He does, however, call us to persevere day by day. The way we do this is by keeping our eyes on Him and allowing Him to direct our life. If you want to make a difference in the world … FAITHFULNESS!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 11, 2018 | James
James 1:14
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”
There have been two times when driving in heavy snow that I began to notice steering difficulty. Thankfully, each time I was gradually able to steer off the roadway to check out the problem.
It was then that I could see that the front wheel wells were almost packed completely with snow. The snow was packed so solidly that I had to use a sharp iron bar to break it away. Afterwards I could only drive a short distance before the same problem occurred. Each time I had to stop to clean the built-up snow out of the wheel wells.
Perhaps you can guess where I am heading with this. Sometimes in our spiritual walk we start picking up things (even good things) that prevent us from being able to steer in the right direction. Most of the time this “build up” is caused by questionable decisions or conduct.
It is possible for us to pack our lives so full of worthy activities that we lose control of our steering. Even religious activities done in our own strength and without the Lord’s calling will so clog our “wheel wells” that we lose the ability to steer. The way we can clear the blockages in our spiritual steering system is to humbly bow before the Lord and ask Him to direct our paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it best: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 12, 2018 | James
James 5:8
“You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Sir Isaac Newton, a very brilliant man, published his revolutionary “Laws of Motion” principles in 1687:
- A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by some outside force;
- A body at rest tends to remain at rest unless impelled by some external force;
- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
To leave such principles of the universe without spiritual comment, however, would be tragic. The God of the universe who created and designed these forces is that same God who desires a personal relationship with each of us.
Just as there are physical laws of motion in control of the universe, there are “Spiritual Laws of Motion” designed to draw us close to the Lord.
- A soul that moves toward the Lord will tend to continue moving toward Him.
- A soul that is at rest concerning God will fail to move toward Him.
- For every spiritual action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The enemy of our souls is always trying to draw our attention away from the Lord and, if we are not careful, our momentum will be stopped.Where do you find yourself in relation to the spiritual laws of motion? Have you made promises to make the Lord a priority in your life but then failed to act upon it? Time to get in motion!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 24, 2018 | James
James 4:8
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
As I write the words of this Daily-E-Votional, my mind reflects back to the memory of my precious Dad. I cherished every moment I spent with my Dad. He was an encourager and was always there to insure that I was striving to be the man God wanted me to be. He stressed that after he was gone I would hold fast to the gospel and point people in the direction of the cross. I yearn for the day when I will see my Dad once again, but even more so I yearn for the day I will meet my Savior face to face.
In the early years of the 20th Century there was an outbreak of diphtheria in the U.S. that claimed many lives. In 1903, Cleland McAfee was chaplain and choir director at Park College in Parkville, Missouri. As the epidemic swept the area, two of his nieces died from the dread disease and the others in the house were quarantined. In Cleland’s hour of grief he wrote the hymn NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD and had the college choir sing outside the house.
If you are passing through the valley of the shadow of death right now (I know that each of us do at some time in our life), let these words bring that quiet assurance we need.
Near to the Heart of God
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
Enjoy this week’s hymn from GloryScapes.com. To access a Video of Near To The Heart of God, please go to: http://gloryscapes.com/neartotheheartofgod
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 16, 2018 | James
James 5:7-8
“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
We are living in such an instant age that the mere mention of patience flies in the face of our way of life. We have instant cash machines and instant check-out counters. So many things in our modern world are designed to save time, effort and energy, but they have failed!
Even with all of the short-cuts and labor saving devices at our disposal, we seem to have less time for the important things in life than ever before. Not only that, but these time and labor saving devices leave us more tired and exhausted. By the end of the day we often walk and talk like robots. The time-saving gadgets and gizmo’s leave us running at a break-neck pace to get from appointment to appointment. What has happened?
The answer lies in the Word of God. In all of our efforts we have totally failed to develop the proper discipline of patience. We do not desire to wait or slow down for anything. In all of our hectic, fast-paced schedules, we are so busy making things happen that we leave no room for that all important “quiet time” of waiting to see what God is going to bring into being.
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 12, 2018 | James
James 4:8
“Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
If You Knew Suzie was a popular song in the 20’s or 30’s. I had never really paid attention to a particular line from that song, but it is spiritually revealing: She goes to church each Sunday, to sing and praise the Lord; but then come Monday she’s as busy as a Ford. I have no idea what “busy as a Ford” implies, but it evidently was something quite far removed from praising the Lord.
I believe that might be the pattern of many so-called Christians — act spiritual or righteous when around “church” people, but live like the world the rest of the time. We seem to deceive ourselves into thinking that we can compartmentalize our lives. It’s as if we call a “time out” to do our carnal thing, and then at our convenience return to being “nice.” I do not think that God is at all pleased with this double-mindedness.
The common practice of calling sin by some other name is unacceptable. Sin is sin and God hates sin. We are to confess our sin before Him and allow Him to bring forgiveness and cleansing. Then we are to turn from our former ways and follow Him. This is the only way to get rid of the double-mindedness that plagues the church of Jesus Christ.
James 4:7 seems to give the necessary steps in submitting to God and resisting the devil! When we resist the devil, James says he will flee from us. We resist the devil by submitting to and focusing on God! Let God deal with him!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
