by Pastor Cecil | Feb 18, 2009 | Philippians
Philippians 4:12-13
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
As improbable as it may seem, I once played football. I played center on offense and linebacker on defense. As a matter of fact I scored one touchdown as a center during my high school years. For those of you who are not familiar with the rules of football, the only eligible receivers are those at each end of the line of scrimmage or in the backfield.
So how did it happen? Our team was ahead and we had a silly play that we had worked out. Everyone on our team was lined up to the left of me, which made me eligible. As the other team went for the receivers on the other side of the field, I was wide open. The ball fluttered to me in the end zone and it was a touchdown. Even the referees had to have it explained to them before they allowed the score. We all laughed at the absurdity of the play.
In the modern world of college and professional football, it has become such a spectacle of strutting and showing-off after a score that a penalty is now assessed. This display of pride is actually ugly and repulsive to just about everyone except the one who is flaunting his score.
So, is pride ever appropriate for the believer? I think it is, but there is a huge qualifier. It is not pride in ourselves, but pride in how great and mighty the Lord is. He is worthy of adoration and praise! We have nothing for which we can take pride. According to Isaiah 64:6: “All of our righteousness is as filthy rags.” Our pride is not in anything we do ourselves, but in what a God does in spite of us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 16, 2009 | Philippians
Philippians 4:8-9
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Picture with me a serene lake setting. On the far side of the lake is a high peak with patches of snow from the following winter. The water is so smooth that there is barely a ripple. As you gaze at the water you see a perfect reflection of the mountain scene—a mirror image. The more the water is disturbed, the less of the mountain you see.
God want us to have a relationship with Him that reflects His glory. It is not about us, but about Him that matters. The more we are preoccupied with ourselves the less of His image reflected in us. The more we allow the things of this world to trouble the “waters of our soul” the less of Jesus they will see.
In today’s Scripture we have the promise of God’s peace. What a wonderful assurance to read that last verse: “And the God of peace will be with you.” The way to finding that peace are in the preceding verses—our thought life! A computer term fits well here: GIGO (garbage in garbage out). We need to change that to: (glory in glory out)!
Each Friday we will be featuring a free video for you to view. This week it is the hymn, “He Hideth My Soul.” To access it please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/hehidethmysoul or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 5, 2008 | Philippians
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
It seems that all too often we have replaced excellence with convenience. We tend to get by with the least amount of effort, time, or cost. As a result, we fail to encounter excellence. We surely can think of examples in the human family, but why spend the time trying to think of illustrations from mankind, when we can use the life of Jesus Christ as the epitome of excellence and also One who is praiseworthy.
In the first part of this verse, Paul lists four qualities that lead to excellence and praiseworthiness: TRUE – NOBLE – LOVELY – ADMIRABLE. I want to consider each in the life and character of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
TRUE: After feeding thousands of people with a few scraps of food, they wanted Him to continue feeding them as Moses had done in the wilderness. Jesus replied in John 6:32-33: “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the True Bread from heaven. For the Bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Jesus is True! His Word is true and His actions are true. All that can be known about truth is to be found in Him. Do you want to think about something of excellence and praiseworthiness? Think about the Truth that came into the world. Think about how Jesus was true in all He did and was.
NOBLE: The Greek word for noble is “eugenes.” It is from two words: “eu” means (well), and “genos”, which means (family or race). It can therefore be defined as “WELL BORN.” It is good to think about the birth of Jesus and in as much as He was born of a virgin (that is humanly impossible), and was born of the Holy Spirit (that was a supernatural provision by God for the perfect Lamb to be slain for the sins of the world).
Never has there been one born of such “noble” circumstances. We could and should think of the noble character of Jesus. No other noble on earth could match His qualifications. It was the True Nobility of heaven that hung on the cross, was buried in the tomb, and arose, triumphant over death, hell and the grave! Wow! That is powerful.
LOVELY: It is not generally the custom to think of a man as being lovely. That may be due to the fact that we men are ugly by nature. (I was going to say that was a joke, but it is so true I will let you decide whether it was funny or accurate).
Jesus was and is lovely. If we are to think of lovely as being pleasing and agreeable, then Jesus is certainly lovely. We can picture Him in touching the sick and afflicted with such gentleness, care and concern, that He glows with beauty and grace. We need to think on those lovely qualities.
ADMIRABLE: In the King James Version, “admirable” is translated as “good report.” I like that much better. It seems that the world clamors for bad reports and the media works overtime searching for bad news and then glorifies it. The problem is that bad reports not only demean the person being reported on, but they also destroy something within us. We then become cynical and negative.
We need to see in Jesus the living example of One who was always worthy of a good report. He taught good principles—He lived a perfect example and He died an atoning death. He will always be worthy of our good report as we think about Him and the life he lived.
How is your thought life? Are you getting bitter or better? Think about the bad news and get bitter. Think about Jesus and get Better!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 8, 2008 | Philippians
Philippians 3:13-14
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Do you feel as if you go through life with a giant question mark over your head? Do you listen to the news of God’s people being taken hostage, and wonder why? Do you question why children are diagnosed with incurable diseases? Do you ask yourself why God allows the wicked to appear to prosper?
There are a multitude of questions that seem constantly to be with us. In the back room of our mind we conjure up notions that if we had understanding on some of these issues, all would be well. Can I let you in on a little secret? IT ISN’T GOING TO HAPPEN! Not only is it not going to happen, it should not be our goal. Being used of God is simply doing what He says, whether we ever gain understanding.
More and more I see God accomplish things in my life that are not a result of my own resolve. It is just being available, and then going on about my normal business. Several years ago I received an e-mail that really illustrates this whole idea of God being and doing things we cannot understand. Do you think this story is true? It sure could be!
ALMIGHTY GOD
The pastor of a store front church called “The Almighty God Tabernacle” was working late on a Saturday night. He decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10:00 PM, but his wife didn’t answer the phone. The pastor let it ring many times. He thought it was odd that she didn’t answer, but decided to wrap up a few things and try again in a few minutes.
When he tried again, she answered right away. He asked her why she hadn’t answered before, and she said that it hadn’t rung at their house. The following Monday the pastor received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he’d used that Saturday night. The man on the other end wanted to know why he’d called on Saturday night. The pastor was dumbfounded and couldn’t figure out what the guy was talking about. Then the caller said, “It rang and rang, but I didn’t answer.”
The pastor remembered the apparently misdirected call and apologized for disturbing the gentleman, explaining that he’d intended to call his wife.
The caller said, “That’s OK, let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, “God, if You are there, and You don’t want me to do this, give me a sign right now.” At that point my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, ‘ALMIGHTY GOD’. I was afraid to answer!”
The man who had intended to commit suicide is now meeting regularly for counseling with the pastor of a church called—The Almighty God Tabernacle.
Instead of wasting a lot of time trying to come up with answers that are beyond our capacity to understand, isn’t it better to just take God’s hand? Those things which God wants us to know will be revealed to us. The other things that we struggle to understand will just have to wait until God reveals them to us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 11, 2008 | Philippians
Philippians 4:4-7
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I think most of you know by now that I prepare the Daily-E-Votionals for release on the evening before the date given. That means I am writing this on Thursday, July 10th. Why do I make mention of this? It is our anniversary.
That’s right, today, July 10th, Joyce and I are celebrating our 56th wedding anniversary. We are like two kids recalling our activities the day we were married in 1952. We cannot recall the meals we ate, or the people we saw, but we vividly recalled the love that we had for each other, and which has only grown stronger with each passing year and each new experience.
July 11th is another anniversary. It was seventeen years ago that our oldest daughter, Brenda, went home to be with her Lord and our Lord. She is experiencing a release from the pain and strife that plagued the last days of her life.
Over the years Joyce and I have talked about Brenda. It is such a joy that we, as her parents, can be filled with such comfort as we speak about her. She is the lucky one! We have a little while left here, and a great deal of work left to do. It will be such a joy to share with her, when we meet once again.
Today’s Scripture should be read frequently. We are so prone to moan and complain, instead of smiling and rejoicing. Remember that the world is watching the way we react to the death of our loved ones. They are more interested in observing how we live than listening to what we say.
If I say that I have complete trust in Jesus Christ to see me through every struggle of life, including the death, and then collapse under the pressure, what message is dominant in my life? What will the unbelievers that I have been witnessing to say about my walk? Will they respond to my words, or read my actions?
LISTEN! Rejoicing is not an option for us, but rather an imperative. We are to be a people who rejoice! That means to get a smile on our face. You might have the joy of Jesus down in your heart, but you had better let your face know about it. That is what others will see.
It is also this joyful attitude that leads us to the place of prayer. We come with rejoicing in our life to share our needs with our precious Savior. It is not as if we were sad of countenance, or at the end of our ropes, we proclaim our praise and rejoicing, in great expectation of God meeting us at our point of greatest need.
You know what comes to my mind right now? I see the saints of God across the ages, who have had the joy and rejoicing in their hearts, even during times of deep distress. They rejoiced even as the flames consumed them, or the lions devoured them, or the soldiers of the enemy slew them with the sword. Were their prayers heard? I believe they were. I believe they are with our Brenda right now, having utter joy. “It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, and the half has never yet been told!”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and become a real blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
