by Pastor Cecil | May 16, 2012 | Job
Job 42:16-17
After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years.
I love these transitional words or phrases that we find in the Bible. We read words such as, therefore, because, the next day, or as in today’s Scripture, after this. It is a note to us that we need to search what just preceded. In this case, it was the way God blessed Job after his terrible ordeal.
When I recently visited with my sister-in-law, she brought me up to date on some of the friends I had known in days gone by. It was a shock to hear that age had not been kind to many of them. Living a long life may be a terrible ordeal if a person has lost their health or mental faculties. It is quite common to hear people pray for long life and even make God promises if they are given extended years. It makes me shudder when people try to make deals with the Lord. I will trust in Him to give me the number of days that He has prepared for me to serve Him.
In the book of Job, we see suffering at a level that boggles the mind. Those of us who read the book know that God and Satan have differing views on the integrity of this righteous man named Job. If Job had crumbled under the pressure of his terrible ordeal, Satan would have claimed victory. Job knew enough about his God to rely on Him. His world had crumbled around him and there was no one to give him comfort. His friends became as much a part of his pain as the boils that covered him from head to toe. But in the end, Job prayed for his friends. What love!
Then it happens! After this God restored Job and made him an effective servant for the next 140 years. Wow! That is a long time to be blessed by the Lord and in turn to be a blessing to others. Short or long, I want to live that kind of life!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 3, 2012 | Job
Job 8:16-17
They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden; it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks and looks for a place among the stones.
Today is one of those Pacific Northwest days of early Spring. For the most part it is cloudy with periods of rain. It seems that there is no end in sight to the overcast skies and the wet weather. But then it happens! There is a break in the weather and the sun shines bright and clear. The patches of blue are a welcome sight.
I am sure that most of us can relate to that feeling about things that we encounter in our life. My precious friend and spiritual mentor, Dr. John Hall, shared with me a comment one of his patients made. In response to his asking her how she was getting along, she replied, “Pretty good, but life is so daily!”
That little lady nailed it! When all is said and done, life IS so daily. We might be able to experience the days of blue skies and bright sunshine, but there will be days when the clouds lower and the storms blow.
Here is a secret. The storms of life provide us with the spiritual moisture to bring about a crop of blessing. The Bible assures us that weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
I am trying to learn the discipline of seeking the will of God when I encounter the dark clouds of life. It may be that He wants me to minister to someone who is in the midst of that same storm, or to give me a voice of hope for someone who is going through a similar trial. Sunshine should always be in my soul.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 5, 2011 | Job
Job 38:1-3
“Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: ‘Who is this that obscures My plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ ”
As a Pastor and Counselor for over (let’s just say a very long time), I have heard many wild statements. One of the most flagrant is, “When I see God, I am sure going to ask Him to explain why He did such and such.” My response is always the same. “No you won’t.”
Stop and think about it for a minute. Job was called by God Himself as the most righteous man in the world. This man Job that God proclaimed as righteous made such statements about how he would ask God to justify all of the suffering that he was encountering, was suddenly confronted by God.
What was his response? Did he ask God to defend himself? Did he in any way challenge God and the things that he had to endure? Not on your life! He was on his face before the Lord when he became aware of God’s utter holiness and his own utter sinfulness. Here is how he responded; “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 40:5-6).
God knows all about us and He does all things well. When we encounter the deep dark valleys of life, we can find comfort in knowing that He is near. We may not see Him, but He is there in the shadows of our life. We are never alone!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
by Pastor Cecil | May 26, 2011 | Job
Job 42:4-6
“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
A dear friend of mine is a retired pastor. He once shared with me a situation he had when he became pastor of a new church. The former pastor informed him that one of the men in the congregation was a real headache. In fact he was glad to leave the contrary member to someone else.
The man indeed lived up to his reputation and was a thorn in his side. It so happened that after several months, he was speaking to a returned missionary from another denomination. He shared with her the terrible problem he had with this man. She smiled and told him that it was not the man, but the Lord.
She wisely told him that the Lord chips away areas of our life that He is not pleased with. After the chipping and shaping, He uses sandpaper that scours and smoothes those area of our life that need perfecting. She suggested that this man was the sandpaper in his life.
The pastor went home and began to be honest with God about the man. He confessed that he hated the man instead of loving him. The more he prayed for God to give him a sincere love toward the man, the closer they became. God had done a work in his heart that only God can do. Praise the Lord for the sandpaper He uses to make us more life Him!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
(360) 570-0074
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by Pastor Cecil | Sep 24, 2010 | Job
Job 42:4-5
“Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.”
After my career in the United States Air Force I worked for the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission as Correction Specialist. One of our functions was to assist local counties in upgrading their jails. I was touring a jail in the northern part of the state. The Sheriff was escorting me on the inspection. The jail was so black that we could see nothing. When we emerged, the light almost hurt our eyes. It took a few minutes before we could see anything.
I have often thought about those blind saints of God and what a joy they will experience when their eyes will be opened in glory to see sights that will be greater than anything they could even imagine. Fanny J. Crosby was blind and wrote a wonderful hymn about what she looked forward to seeing.
“My Savior First of All“
When my lifework is ended,
and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;
I shall know my Redeemer
when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the soul-thrilling rapture
when I view His blessed face,
And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart will praise Him
for the mercy, love and grace,
That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the dear ones in glory,
how they beckon me to come,
And our parting at the river I recall;
To the sweet vales of Eden
they will sing my welcome home;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Through the gates to the city
in a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages
I shall mingle with delight;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
To access My Savior First of All, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/mysaviorfirstofall in your browser or click on the image below.
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 6, 2010 | Job
Job 29:18-19
“I thought, ‘I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches.’ ”
How old do you have to be to think about your own death? With me it was a warm summer day when I was seven or eight. A church group was on a swimming trip to the Washougal River in Washington. I had been enjoying the cool water when I realized that the current was pulling me into deeper and deeper water.
There was a terrifying moment when I felt that I was going to drown. I asked the Lord to help me. It was then that I felt a tree root on the bottom of the stream. It was not just a root, but it had formed in such a way that my foot could slip under it and hold me from slipping.
I tried to call for help, but my head was barely out of the water. It seemed like an eternity before one of the adults came to my rescue. I was chastised for getting so far into the stream, but I didn’t mind. I was saved and I just knew that it was the Lord who had prepared that root just for me!
Sometimes in our everyday life we feel ourselves start to slip. Things overwhelm us and our firm footing begins to give way. Please take it from me ― one who has been there ― Jesus is our Root and He will save us when we call out to Him!
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
