by Pastor Cecil | Dec 15, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 14:34
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
It is quite depressing to wake up each morning and be struck with the reality that we live in the midst of a sinful and unrighteous day and age. The writer of Proverbs states without equivocation that a nation is exalted when it is characterized by righteousness. That virtue is hard to be found these days!
The writer also states that sin is a reproach to any people. The word reproach as used in this verse in the Hebrew word chesed, which in this context means a wicked thing. That is certainly an apt description of the effect sin has on our society.
What should be our response to the sinful condition of our world? We find the answer in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Many revivals in the past have been started by a few believers who were willing to humble themselves and pray until they touched the hem of His garment. It is time to evaluate our commitment to obey God.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 28, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a situation that seemed to have no solution? How do we cope? In this passage in Proverbs we see there are two things we are cautioned to avoid: Relying on our own understanding and being wise in our own eyes. These are hard for us to accomplish since we want to be in control of things around us.
When encountering evil or injustice we rise up with righteous indignation and want to correct the situation. It should be clear to us (and others) that our fervent anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
If we are to avoid using our own abilities, how are we to deal with the problems that confront us? The answer is very clear. It begins with trusting in the Lord with all of our heart. That means letting go and letting God have control.
Secondly we must acknowledge God in all of our ways. The Hebrew word for acknowledge is the word yada. It means in part to learn more and more about God and His ways. As we do that, we rest in Him, study His Word, and discover more of His wonderful attributes.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 5, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 18:24
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
As we grow older it seems that we lose more and more friends. Hardly a week goes by without receiving word that another friend has gone to be with the Lord. It was only a few months ago that I received word of the passing of Chris Vosler.
Years ago Chris gave me a gift of a plaque that reads, “A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you’ve been, accepts who you’ve become, and still gently invites you to grow.”
As close as our dearest friend or friends may be, we have a friend who is still closer. I am speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who is with us at all times. We are never really alone when others have departed, for He stays with us through the dark hours of the night.
When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is there beside us. When we receive devastating news, He is there to provide the comfort and solace to ease the pain. When we receive news that calls for rejoicing, He makes it even better for we have One who rejoices with us. At all times, and in every circumstance, our Dearest Friend makes our life worth living.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 13, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:1
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”
For several weeks I have been having difficulty with my voice (or at times, lack of it). As I pursue treatment for this problem I have asked my faithful webmaster, Larry Hunter to use past issues of the Daily-E-Votional and send these out each day.
After almost 20 years of preparing and distributing to thousands of you precious faithful readers, I will use this time to be prepared to return with a renewed fervor to proclaim the message the Lord gives me.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 7, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 14:5
“A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will utter lies.”
Years ago, in the middle of the night while my wife Joyce was awake feeding our baby son, she happened to spot a small mouse out for a leisurely stroll. Now to me this seemed to be normal and proper behavior for a mouse. To Joyce it was a national crisis. With a scream she fled into our bedroom and issued this ultimatum: “You will be getting up with the kids in the middle of the night until that mouse is gone!”
Well, needless to say, that got my attention! Traps were immediately set at every logical location. After a week the traps were still empty and I was on permanent night duty. It was then I came up with a remarkable plan (although not necessarily an honest one). I walked into the kitchen and got down on my knees to look under the refrigerator. I pulled out the empty trap and called in my best fake happy voice, “Honey, do you want to see it?”
In a way it was one of my finest hours—but in reality is was pure and simple deception. I have already confessed it to the Lord and to Joyce, so do not hammer me about dealing with the issue. Joyce squealed and said, “Just get it out of here!” I walked outside and made noises as if I was throwing it in the garbage can. Remember, it was all just a farce—there was no mouse. I did not actually say there was, but I had lied by intimation.
Do you have any “mice” in your life? Are there things that you say and do in order to lead to a conclusion that is not true? Do you lead people to believe you are a dedicated Christian when, in fact, you are hiding sin in your life? Confess!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 10, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
When our oldest daughter Brenda was eight, she suddenly developed an extremely high temperature of 104-105. I rushed her to the emergency room where they put her in a large stainless steel tub filled with water and buckets of ice.
It broke my heart to stand beside her shivering little body as she cried and pleaded with me to make the pain go away. Oh, how I wished I could trade places with her and free her of the agony she was enduring. I couldn’t! She had to endure the agony in order to get well!
Frequently I am contacted by people who are hurting and feel stuck in intolerable situations. As I pray and respond as best as I know how, I am struck by how many times I have had people pour out their hearts to me and beg for relief from their pain. I have found that most of the time (actually, all of the time) I do not have the answers.
So what can I do? How can I give hope to those of you who are passing through the valley of the shadow of death? The only answer is to trust in the Lord with all of your heart and leave the results up to Him.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
