by Pastor Cecil | Nov 15, 2011 | John
John 15:26
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—He will testify about Me.
There is a comic strip that points out the revolting characteristics of some husbands. I will stretch that further and say that these characteristics are detestable to anyone. The comic strip is Andy Capp. My hat is off to the creator who has exposed the worst qualities in the human heart.
In today’s comic strip, Andy’s wife tries to get his attention while he is reading the newspaper. She repeatedly tells him that she will be gone for a few hours to visit her mother. He acknowledges her comments, but soon after she leaves he calls out to ask if she is in the kitchen and will she bring him a cup of tea.
The implication is that while he says he is listening to her, he is not listening to anything she is saying. All too often the Holy Spirit speaks to us and we say we are listening but immediately do our own thing as if we had heard nothing that was revealed to us.
When we seek to know God’s will for our life, we can have every confidence that He hears and will answer. The problem is not that the Holy Spirit does not speak to us . . . the problem is that we do not take the time to set aside the distractions in our life and listen to His voice. Are you listening?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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
My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 14, 2011 | John
John 16:13
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.
About six months ago we purchased a 2009 used car. As I was reading the owner’s manual I noticed that it had a warning for low tire pressure. I mentioned it to the salesman and he assured me that it actually works and if you have a tire that has a low air pressure, a warning light would appear on the instrument panel.
This morning as Joyce and I were leaving an event here in our community, I noticed the warning light had appeared. In fact I had to get out the owner’s manual to insure what the warning light was for.
I drove to a tire repair facility and asked them if they could check the tire pressure for me. Sure enough, I had low tire pressure. He added air to all four tires and when I started the car my warning light was no longer illuminated.
I have been wondering today if there is a warning light in our life to prompt us to get assistance as soon as possible. In today’s Scripture we are reminded by Jesus Himself that the Holy Spirit will remind us when our spiritual pressure is low. It is then up to us to respond by drawing near to God or ignore the warning and find ourselves stranded along life’s highway. Check your pressure!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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
My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 8, 2011 | John
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
It is unfortunate that many people have been led to believe that they must do something good to merit salvation. They feel that if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds they will make it to heaven.
There are some religions that teach a doctrine of self-sacrifice. They believe that the more you suffer the greater your eternal reward. Tragically, that is not the case. There is simply no way that we can be good enough to be acceptable in God’s sight. In fact, we read in Isaiah 64:6 that our best righteousness is nothing but filthy rags. If that is what our best is, just imagine what our worst deeds are?
So if we cannot achieve salvation by our righteousness, then how can we be saved? The answer is found in today’s Scripture. It is what God has done for us. He knew that the blood of an innocent sacrifice was required. That meant that God had to send His only Son, Jesus, to offer Himself as the full payment for our sins.
Notice that the purpose of Jesus coming into the world was not to condemn us, but to provide salvation for us. It is in confessing that we are sinners and accepting Jesus into our hearts that we are saved. We either accept Him or reject His provision for our salvation. There is no middle ground. Have you received Him?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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
My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the Kindle store and type in “Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations,” or “Pastor Cecil Thompson.”
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 13, 2011 | John
John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
The following article was just forwarded to me. All I can say is, WOW! I am delighted to forward it for your consideration.
A BURDEN by Michael Carl
Have you ever wondered how we can have million dollar church buildings and pack-in huge crowds on Sunday, but have no power in our witness? Do you wonder how about half of the people in this country claim to have had a born again experience and how the churches are having so little of an impact? Have you been amazed at the fact that American society is becoming increasingly antagonistic to the church. How can this be?
The answer seems to be that it’s because the pastors in the pulpits have sold out to the ‘Seeker Sensitive’ movement. We’ve opted for programs, lights, smoke machines, stage props, and the prosperity Gospel.
Pastors preach the Gospel of Self-Fulfillment and talk about how we’re destined to reign. Our pulpits echo with: ‘God wants you to be happy’ and ‘You can have your best life now’. We have major tele-preachers holding ‘camp meetings’ where the ‘preacher’ shouts, ‘Let’s celebrate you!’
I heard a preacher say once that if you have trials in your life, then you don’t have enough faith. What a ludicrous statement and how utterly un-Biblical! Paul had more faith than most of us and he never stopped going through trials. We talk faith and prosperity while the church around the world grows in not merely number, but in depth and maturity. They see miracles and God’s power; they sense His presence.
How? They’ve learned to persevere through trials. A Charismatic Episcopal Church Bishop in Pakistan had a Muslim slit his throat, throw him off of a bus and leave him for dead just because the Bishop was a Christian. But the Bishop’s ministry grows and he sees the fruit. Christians in other parts of the world weep for revival in the American church. What does that say about us? It means that we are weak and self-absorbed.
I heard another television preacher turn the tables and suggest that a preacher who focused on subjects like F. F. Bruce’s The Hard Sayings of Jesus was not preaching the Gospel and ignoring the truth of the Word! ‘They didn’t want to hear that,’ he claimed! What utter disregard for the truth! Jesus said, ‘The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head,’ and told His followers of His coming arrest, trial, torture and crucifixion. This means we’re deceived and taken with greed.
There are no tears for revival and the only One weeping is Jesus. He bled and died for us and we proclaim that the Gospel is a means to prosperity, power and influence. Church services look more like pop concerts and the preaching is only a babbling collection of self-absorbed slogans and how God wants us to be happy! No, God wants us to be holy!
Where is the message of repentance? Where is the ‘”If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me”‘?
Folks, the message of the cross is foolishness and offensive to the world. Paul told us that 191/2 centuries ago. Paul also told us that if he wanted to please the world, he would not be a follower of Christ. Can you imagine Elijah having a chat with the wicked King Ahab about how we can ‘Coexist’? Or, do you think John the Baptist should have opened a dialogue with Herod about tolerance?
No, those mighty men of God were sent to confront the leaders of their time about the sin in the society! Why is it that our evangelicals spend their time trying to cozy up and make nice with our politicians while there are souls perishing hourly and going into a Christ-less eternity?
This is the message that will transform this culture and turn this country around.
-Please comment on this article at the website below-
http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/
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.
Special News! My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil?s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 6, 2011 | John
John 8:34-36
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
I just heard about a man that was buried for over one day in a coffin that he had voluntarily entered for some unknown reason. He had attached a tube to provide air, but I am not sure if his thinking was rational to try such a feat. It gained him publicity, but I still wonder about his mental condition to try such a stunt.
In the last few days we have heard and read about a young American girl who was released from prison after four years on a murder charge. She was facing over twenty years of prison time, but an appeal was made and she was found not guilty and set free. Her tears of joy reflected an inner relief that she was going home.
There have been other incidents where a person was trapped in the wreckage of a demolished vehicle or a collapsed building. Being set free from their imprisonment brought a relief that words cannot express.
The sad thing is that so many people in our world are held captive to sin. The sin that enslaves them is far more serious than those incidents I mentioned earlier. Romans 6:23 reminds us that the consequences of sin is death. It also tells us that our salvation is near. It is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. My prayer is that if you are still bound by sin you will accept Jesus as Savior and be set free.
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.
Special News! My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil?s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 17, 2011 | John
John 14:5-6
“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
One time when I was a city Police Officer in Nampa, Idaho, I was contacted by someone who had just arrived in town and could not find the address they were looking for. I tried to give them directions and even wrote the directions on a slip of paper, but I could tell that they were still very hesitant. So I told them to just follow me and I would lead them to where they wanted to go.
It sounded easy, but it turned out to be difficult. Even though I was driving below the posted speed limit, the driver behind me kept falling behind. When we came to a traffic light he would inevitably doddle along and get stopped while I had already gone through. This meant that I had to wait for the light to change before he once again was directly behind me. I was frustrated and I am sure that he was also.
Jesus wants us to follow Him! Only He knows the way and He has written the directions in His Holy Word. But let’s face it—we are just not too good at following instructions. It is then that Jesus tells us to follow Him.
One of the most meaningful books that I have read was In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. Many of you may have read it or at least have been impacted by the concept that he presented. The concept—What would Jesus do? Before acting or reacting, the characters in the book made a covenant to live their life with a constant question before them: What would Jesus do? That is the way I want to live! Will you join me?
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.
