by Pastor Cecil | Jun 20, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
In His first public sermon Jesus gives us the steps to victorious Christian living. This Scripture for today is the final in the list of normal Christian beatitudes, or as I like to think of them as: Be-attitudes.
I once heard a minister use them in a sequential manner. Beginning in verse three of Matthew five, we have these beatitudes: poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and finally, the persecuted.
These are attributes that must be developed in order to develop true spiritual maturity. To be poor in spirit means that we become empty of self and see ourselves as poor, destitute beggars who will perish without the salvation that the Lord gives.
When we see ourselves as poor and needy we will begin to mourn for our sins that separate us from God. This leads to a spirit of meekness and total dependence on the Lord to lead, guide and direct.
Our meek dependence upon the Lord will lead naturally to a hunger and thirst for righteousness. As we develop a hunger for the things of God we will begin to see the needs of those around us and we will experience the spirit of mercy.
Isn’t this a beautiful progression? As we see the lost and dying around us and exercise mercy we will find the things of this world hold less and less appeal. That leads to our being purified. The pure in heart will see God in a way they have never seen Him before.
I hope you have your Bible open to Matthew five so you are able to follow the sequence of spiritual growth. It is not until we develop a pure heart that we are able to become peacemakers. It is not the United Nations or any other political body who will bring about peace—it is God’s people living out His plan for our life with joy and delight.
But wait! There is more! Dare I say it? PERSECUTION! That doesn’t seem right does it? Humanly speaking we expect God to protect us and keep us from attack. Nope! God’s people have always experienced persecution.
Reading Christian biographies, I discover that the period of persecution is usually when the greatest spiritual fruit is produced. The important thing is how we react to persecution. Crying and moaning when persecution arises is the normal reaction. But what does Jesus say? It is our Scripture for today. Jesus says that we are to rejoice! We are to be ecstatic! Why? Because our reward is in heaven! Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 19, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 11:29-30
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
This weekend we had an air show at our local airport. We live a few miles from the airport and don’t hear the noise from most of the propeller driven aircraft. But then there is the Navy fighter jet! The sight and sound of a powerful modern jet engine flying overhead is quite an experience. Several times one of the aircraft flew so low and close that we could actually see the pilot.
As my neighbor and I stood in the middle of the street watching this wonderful display, he recalled the experience of seeing the Blue Angels (the US Navy demonstration team) from a close observation point. The necessity of flying in perfect formation is required in order to prevent a collision.
I once flew in a jet trainer that was flying alongside a modern jet fighter. What an awesome experience to look out of the cockpit and see our wing tip just a few feet from the other aircraft. I recall our pilot backing off the throttle and commenting that he was not flying in proper formation and it made him nervous. (By the way, we did not collide and all too soon the flight had ended and we were soon home once again.)
The pilot in the lead plane had no responsibility to keep us in formation. All he had to do was to fly straight and level. It was the responsibility of my pilot to follow the other plane in close formation. In the same way, the Lord calls us to fly in close formation to Him. It is not necessary for us to see what is ahead so long as we keep our eyes focused on Him. That, my dear hearts, is spiritual formation flying.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 15, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 24:10-13
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Jesus is coming soon! One of the prophecies concerning His return concerns the rise of false prophets and even those who claim to be Messiah. Since 1891, when the blind hymn writer, Fanny Crosby wrote this week’s hymn, there have many false leaders who claimed to be the promised Messiah. Each of these charlatans lacked the required proof—the prints of the nails in his hands! Carefully read the words the words of this old hymn:
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 | May 3, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 13:8-9
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.
One of my greatest delights is to stand in the middle of a large tomato patch with luscious ripe tomatoes all around me just begging to be eaten. I never let them down! There are times of sowing, then watering, perhaps some weeding that precedes the harvest, but harvest time eventually comes.
I must confess I usually feel guilty participating in the harvest without doing any of the work to bring it about. I sometimes imagine the cultivating, planting, hoeing and watering that result in a bountiful harvest.
Over the years I have had the blessing of leading individuals to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Frequently they are more than ready to pray the sinner’s prayer and give their hearts to the Lord.
As we visit following their decision, I often hear about how others have witnessed to them and prayed for them across the years. It may be a parent, grandparent or friend, but there had been a seed planted. I just had the joy of harvesting.
If you have read these Daily-E-Votionals for any time at all, you will know that I strike hard at the sin of pride. Spiritual pride is especially obnoxious. It is one of those weeds that we talked about yesterday.
It is almost as if some Christians delight in counting how many people they have led to the Lord. To me that is tragic! The Lord has called all of us to work in His fields. We may plow, sow, water or reap—but it is what the Lord calls us to do—not what we choose to do ourselves that counts.
It is my prayer that when I get to heaven, some joyous soul will greet me with a great smile and say, “You never knew it, but something you said (or did) made me realize I needed the Lord in my life. Years later I accepted Jesus. Thank you!”
God needs workers in His fields. Will you accept His call and make yourself available to Him?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 25, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 25:37-40
Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You? Then the King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least one of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.’
In thinking about the Scripture above, we need to stop and consider what Matthew means by the term, “the least one of these brothers of mine.” It possibly could mean the prophets and ministers of God—but it just as likely applies to those who are confined to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, forgotten and alone at home—and any number of types of individuals.
The year was 1954 and I was stationed in the United States Air Force in Rapid City, South Dakota. While there, my wife, Joyce, and I assisted in starting a small church with just a handful of people. The pastor and his wife had three children, one of which was a developmentally disabled boy named Chuckie who could only speak with guttural tones and with great difficulty.
Chuckie needed lots of love. You could see the joy on his face when someone would give him a hug. He especially loved his dad. He was the happiest when he would slip past the one who was supposed to sit with him and go up on the platform and sit in a chair next to his dad.
I can still picture the scene of him sitting, or standing by his dad, with his song book upside down, pretending that he knew what the words meant, and making his singing sounds. His dad, Wes, would look down at him with a pleasant smile that seemed to say, “I love you and I am here for you.”
It must have been in the summer of 1956 that we had a family camp in the Black Hills of South Dakota, at Camp Bob Marshall. It was at the closing service that the speaker invited people to come forward and receive prayer for healing. Pastor Wes and Mary took Chuckie and knelt there along with many others. Soon it seemed that the entire congregation had focused their prayers on Chuckie. There was such a deep assurance that the Lord had heard and that soon this little boy would be healed.
Soon after that family camp I was discharged from the Air Force and returned to complete my college. We kept in touch with our friends in Rapid City and were stunned by the news that Chuckie had died. Chuckie’s parents shared that during their time of grief they received a telegram from the speaker who had prayed so expectantly for Chuckie to be healed. In it he expressed praise and delight. He told the grieving parents that when they had prayed so earnestly for little Chuckie, they had no idea that God would heal him so perfectly! Wow!
Joyce and I were reminded of those words of assurance in 1991, when our own daughter, Brenda, died at age 35. God had given her the best healing of all, by taking her to be with Him. We know she will be waiting for us!
There are many people who may be classified as “the least of these.” They need you and you need them! Accept them as God’s special gift to you.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 9, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 28:17-20
“When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
When I was in high school I played on the football team. In my senior year we were very successful. In fact we were undefeated. I can recall coming home after practice so tired and sore that I could hardly move. All of the hours of exercise and practice resulted in each victory we achieved. It was rather humorous that we could hear the shouts of victory from the sidelines, – – – We won! Our supporters had not endured the pain we experienced, but they shared the victory. We gladly welcomed their joyful shouts of victory.
Jesus won the victory over the hold that Satan had over fallen man on the cross. The moment His life’s blood flowed from His precious innocent body the price was paid for our redemption! It is nothing that we have done or ever could do that won the victory of the enemy, but Jesus gained the victory.
Following His crucifixion He rose from the tomb and appeared to hundreds of people. Some of His followers identified with His victory, but there were some who doubted. Amazing! He had foretold what He was going to do and He did it! They still question the reality of His resurrection. I don’t want to be a part of that doubting crowd. I want to be one of those who choose victory in Jesus!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
