by Pastor Cecil | Feb 28, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:11-12
“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.”
I have a photo of my dad, taken in 1950, standing with five of his brothers in front of two 1940’s era cars. As I look at it I feel a longing to see my Dad once more and tell him how much I love him. This man with only an eighth grade education had wisdom which cannot be taught in schools. But beyond that, he was a man who was filled with love for others.
Dad taught me what it was to know the Lord. He did that in many ways, not all of them pleasant. I can vividly remember that in the second drawer of his chest of drawers, he had an old fashioned razor strap. They were created to sharpen the old straight razors which were used by men back in the early days. They may have been designed to sharpen the razors, but they tended to become objects of terror to the behinds of young boys!
Dad freely applied it to my seat of understanding. When the leather and canvas smacked together during the spanking, it made a sound like a rifle shot. It took a very short time before I was promising never, ever, in no way, whatever, etc., to misbehave again. (Sad to say, I did!)
Looking back on these episodes of discipline, I know it hurt Dad as much as it hurt me, but in a different way. He was doing it for love and to direct my steps. When I became a teen, I loved and respected my Dad.
Across the years, since receiving the Lord as my personal Savior, I have grown in my love with Him. There have been times when I felt His hand of discipline, but I always knew that it was for my own good. I also have come to realize that when the Lord has had to discipline me, it hurts Him more than it does me. He only brings about the discipline because of His great love and concern for me. I can hardly wait to see my Lord Jesus and thank Him for loving me enough to discipline me.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 22, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
We don’t what? We don’t trust in God. In the past few days I have heard reports about the words “IN GOD WE TRUST” being removed from our currency. In fact, I heard that a survey of citizens across the United States found that a vast majority favored keeping the words on our coins and currency.
As I think about the results of this survey I am struck by the fact that, unfortunately, we really do not trust in God. We have turned our back on the Lord so frequently and so completely that God is most often used as profanity—but not honored as an important part of our life.
It seems that each day we become more and more pagan in our actions. Little or no attention is paid to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Money and status have become the God of far too many people. We have removed God from our classrooms and public places.
Our nation was founded on faith in God and dependence on Him to guide us through the ups and downs of life. How sad that in spite of the way He has blessed us, we have chosen to ignore Him. The early pilgrims wanted freedom from a politically imposed religion. Politicians have reversed the view to prevent faith in God from having any place in the political arena. How far we have fallen! May God forgive us!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 10, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:24
“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
There are many reasons for giving to the work of the Lord. The first and foremost reason is that it is mandated in Scripture. We also find that a giving heart is one of the most effective means of doing the work of the Lord.
I am not sure about you, but I have had friends turn their back on me at the time I needed them most. One of the greatest lessons I have learned as a follower of Jesus Christ is that when all others fail us, there is one source of strength and solace that has never failed nor ever will fail.
My grandpa Thompson had experienced many trials in his life. His sweet spirit was evident to all and he was a true giver. In spite of his faithful service to the Lord, he suffered terribly in his last days. You would think that God would show more kindness to him. HE DID! You see, the stuff or ease of this world is not the most precious. Grandpa was able to witness more to his children at his death in a glorious way.
As his children gathered around his bed, he gave his testimony about how God had been so faithful to him. When he finished, he looked toward the front door of His humble cottage and breathed these words: “Well, there’s Jesus now!”
‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word. Just to rest upon His promise. Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.
Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.
How I love to trust in Jesus, just to trust His cleansing blood. Just in simple faith to trust me, ‘neath the healing cleansing flood.
Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.
Yes, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, and from sin and self to cease. Now from Jesus simply taking, life and rest and joy and peace.
Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.
I’m so glad I learned to trust Him, precious Jesus, Savior, friend; and I know that He is with me, He’ll be with me to the end.
Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.
To access ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/tissosweet/ 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 | Jan 16, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If that word sweat is offensive, we can substitute perspiration. Either way, it is the moisture that appears on your brow and turns your arm pits a swamp land. I was actively engaged in my early morning exercise last week when a new thought struck me. I know it is unbelievable, but it happens occasionally.
One of the first things I do when I enter the workout room is to turn the heat on in the sauna. I then get on the treadmill for at least 20 minutes. By that time I have worked up a good head of steam. I go into the sauna for about 10 minutes and boy the swea… oops, perspiration is really flowing.
As this happened that morning I thought of the difference between the perspiration from the treadmill and the sauna. In the sauna I am just exposed to heat and do nothing but sit there. On the treadmill I am not only producing perspiration, but my heart rate is increased, which is what I want.
In applying this spiritually I think we will all agree that from time to time we have to endure the heat of outside situations that we can do nothing about but simply endure. On the other hand the Word of God calls us to step out in active service when the Lord calls us. This produces spiritual heat that in turn causes our heart beat increase. I want to sweat in service for the Lord when He calls!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 28, 2011 | 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.”
How much do we truly place our trust in the Lord? When we are faced with the tough times of life, do we depend upon Him or do we tend to work things out in our own strength or by using some other human resources.
It is interesting to explore the Hebrew word for trust used in this passage of Scripture. It is the word batach, and is defined as: to trust in – to have confidence – to be to be bold – to be secure.
That gives it an entirely different flavor doesn’t it? There is no namby-pamby pie in the sky attitude in trusting in the Lord. It means that before we do anything else, we turn the matter over to Him and allow Him to deal with it.
If you want to see the power of the Lord displayed, go back to the book of II Kings 19, and see what happened when Jerusalem was surrounded by the army of King Sennacherib of Assyria. Hezekiah went to the Temple and spread the letter that the king had written which mocked the Lord and His people. That night the Lord fought the battle for Israel and in one night slew the entire enemy army.
When we place our trust in the Lord we can rest in the confident assurance that He hears and will bring about His will for our life. Are you trusting?
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
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 20, 2011 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
A few hours ago a dear friend dropped by for some spiritual encouragement. It turned out that she was the one who encouraged Joyce and me. She related how she had been driving to a homeless shelter where she volunteers but had made a “wrong turn” that meant she would have to drive a few extra blocks.
As our friend was chastising herself for not paying closer attention, she noticed a woman in a motorized wheelchair. The chair was leaning precariously to one side and if it tipped over, the woman would have fallen into the street — she was calling for someone to help her. Our friend called back that she would be right there.
Our friend quickly parked in a nearby space and rushed over to the helpless gal in the wheelchair and, along with two passing pedestrians, was able to get her on the straight and narrow once again. Our friend was given an opportunity to witness to the woman and to the meter maid who had just written her a parking ticket (but tore the ticket up after understanding what had happened).
The “wrong turn” was no accident. The Lord had His hand on the entire affair. In the same way He desires for us to cast all of our cares and concerns on Him. If we truly believed that, we would be able to live far more victorious lives. Instead of crying about turning down the wrong street, we need to silently pray for the Lord to show us what He wants us to do for him in this area. Praise the Lord!
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.
