by Pastor Cecil | Dec 13, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
One Sunday, following our evening service, a man in the congregation asked if he might come to the parsonage and talk with me. I was delighted, and when he came we had a small lunch before going into my office.
Out of the clear blue came these words: “I hate your guts!” Wow! You could have knocked me over with a feather. Prior to this there did not seem to be anything of a conflict between us, so his statement was a blow.
With my mind reeling, I prayed silently for God’s wisdom and strength. With as much sincerity as possible I answered, “I am so glad that you feel free to share your feelings with me.” From that incident I would like to suggest a few ways to respond to and love the unlovable.
- Rely on God’s wisdom in dealing with the person.
- Realize that these unlovable people need love—perhaps more than others.
- Remember how unlovable our sins are in God’s sight.
- Rejoice that we are counted worthy to encounter persecution.
- Respond with love rather than retaliate with resentment.
What happened on that Sunday evening so long ago? We spent time together as he poured out his heart. As he was leaving he looked me directly in the eye and said, “Pastor, I love you so much!” Wow! That was a dramatic change from the comments he made earlier. God is so good!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 12, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
When I was a boy there was a man in our church who attracted all of us kids to him. As I recall, his name was Vanoy Croswell. He was a happy and radiant Christian who loved people and especially kids. But that was not what appealed to us. HE WAS THE SEN-SEN MAN!
Sen-Sen was (and still is) a breath freshener. It is tiny squares made of hard licorice. I went online and discovered that it can still be purchased today, usually in small packets. Previously it was available in more convenient small cardboard boxes. Similar to a matchbox of the time, an inner box slid out from a cardboard sleeve revealing a small hole from which the tiny Sen-Sen squares would fall when the box was shaken. That is what I remember about mister Croswell. I can still hear the rattle of the small box as he would shake out a tiny square.
It really did not take very much to attract the kids to him, and it gave him an opportunity to tell us about Jesus. We discovered that his generous spirit went far beyond the tiny pieces of sweets that he doled out to us. That was just his way of giving himself an opportunity to share.
In today’s Scripture Jesus says that we are to let our light shine in such a way that as they see the good that we do they will be drawn to glorify our Father in heaven. In what way are you drawing people to you in order to tell them about Jesus?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 10, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
It is always a thrill for me to build a fire. I guess it started when I was in my teens and a boy scout. One summer we had a week-long camp and our scoutmaster taught us the fundamentals of building and maintaining a good fire. It was a thrill for us to use our shoe laces, a bow and drill, and in a few minutes have a flame erupt from our dry shavings. He taught us to always have dry wood near at hand so we would be able to keep the fire burning.
Recently I have thought about these lessons as I have built fires in our small wood stove. When I first ignite the fire there is plenty of paper and kindling to allow the flames to quickly flame into light. It is not enough to produce a flame. I have to keep the fire growing by placing larger and larger wood in the flames.
One day last week as I was watching the growing fire, I placed a larger piece of wood. It was too much and too soon for the fire to continue burning. I found it necessary to pay close attention to place smaller kindling back in the flames until they would get the larger pieces engulfed.
In the spiritual realm we sometimes fail to learn the lessons from the fire box. We must insure that we light the fire in new believers. Then we need to provide just the right amount of kindling to get their flame burning bright. As we prayerfully add more and more solid wood we need to watch for the moment when they are burning on their own and producing fire in those around them. GET BURNING!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 30, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 6:27
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
True Christian character is certainly seen in our biblical heroes, but it may often be seen in those of more recent times. Hope is a character quality that looks beyond our immediate circumstances and shows what we as believers have waiting for us.
One of the most enduring songs written after the Civil War was by Sanford Bennett entitled, In the Sweet By and By. Bennett was the owner of a drugstore in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, who had just returned from the war. A friend, Joseph Webster, a gifted musician trained formally in composition, came to Bennett’s store each day to talk and play chess. Often Webster would come in depressed and down.
When asked what was wrong, Webster would often reply, “It’s no matter. It will be alright by and by.” That idea hit Bennett like a flash of sunlight! It was at that moment that he demonstrated hope to a friend who needed it at that moment.
As Bennett later described the incident, he took out a pen and it was all over in thirty minutes. A new hymn was born. In short order he was singing the words along with Webster and two other friends.
Bennett continued to manage his drugstore while Webster went on pursuing a composer’s career, writing over a thousand musical compositions and compiling the very popular Sunday school hymnal The Signet Ring. However he would not have the same success as with The Sweet By and By. That hymn was perfect for the post-Civil War era because it conveyed pathos with a mixture of comforting warmth. It came to typify the virtues of spiritual hope.
Sweet By and By
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore,
The melodious songs of the blest;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise,
For the glorious gift of His love,
And the blessings that hallow our days.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To access Sweet By and By, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/sweetbyandby/ 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 | Nov 28, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 24:10-13
And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
In the past I have mentioned the difference in kids today from when I was in school. Many of us remember that when we were in school the teachers and the principals were the ultimate authority—when a spanking was merited, a spanking was received. The thought of suing a teacher, principal, or school was never considered. Most of the time kids didn’t even consider telling their folks about spankings at school—it would mean receiving an even harder one at home. (Being perfect that never applied to me. Cough! Cough!)
Today, true believers in the Word of God being the ultimate authority are more and more accused of being out of step with reality. It is not a character defect that we possess, but there has been a dramatic shift in society that puts the faith of the believer at odds with the world. It is all happening so quickly that it is phenomenal. In my own lifetime we have degraded into a miserable and immoral world.
Remember when issues that were presented in the media at least had a form of righteousness to them? But gradually questionable words and scenes were slipped into the television shows and movies. Profanity became the “new normal.” Questionable things became the norm. Morality became more and more prudish and out of date. Permissiveness has now become, not the exception, but the accepted standard.
An indication of how far from God’s standard of righteousness we have strayed is easily displayed. States are voting to determine if marriage should be classified legally as only a union between a man and a woman. But we do not have to vote on it—God has firmly established that homosexuality is abhorrent. We do not need to vote, we need to obey!
This trend is taking on more sinister overtones as of late. Christians who hold firmly to the Word of God as their source of righteousness are now being labeled the enemy of society. We believers who have received Jesus Christ as personal Savior, and who accept the Bible as God’s inerrant authority, are counted as being warped and a hindrance to progress. Morals which are established on the Word of God are pushed aside and replaced by personal desires. Righteousness is now defined by that which will bring the individual the greatest pleasure.
A revival of God’s righteousness and holiness is always needed, but now more than ever. There is an entire generation of people who are in danger of being lost without a mighty move of the Spirit of God in our midst. May we pray as we have never prayed before, and act in obedience to God’s unfailing Word.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 16, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Where is God when I have great need and my heart is breaking? Does He really care about my personal struggles? Does He care that I feel as if I am at the end of my rope? Does He care when the one who is dearest to me dies?
Frank Graeff was a minister who had the reputation for always being happy, optimistic and had a sunny disposition. In the spite of his normally up-beat nature, he was called upon to endure severe trials in his life.
It was while he was going through one of these ordeals that he wrote the words of today’s hymn. The promise he found in 1 Peter 5:7 was especially meaningful to him: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Think of his struggles and finding hope as you enjoy this week’s hymn. The music was composed by J. Lincoln Hall.
Does Jesus Care?
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
To view the GloryScapes inspirational video Does Jesus Care? please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/doesjesuscare/ 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
