by Pastor Cecil | Oct 1, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 34:17-20
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”
Have you ever lost a loved one? In the past I have shared with you about losing our daughter, but I feel led to do so again.
“Dad, are you sitting down?” Those words came across the phone lines from our oldest daughter, Brenda, some twenty years ago. I told her that I was. She said, “I am in the hospital with heart failure.”
The words struck with the force of a blow to my stomach. I told her that her mother and I would be there as soon as possible. It was over 500 miles from Shelton, Washington, to Boise, Idaho, and we made it in record time.
When we arrived, the prognosis was even worse than we had anticipated. Brenda was diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and the only way she could survive was to have both a heart and lung transplant. In the meantime she, like so many others, had to live with a broken heart.
I knew that as much as I wanted to fix my dear daughter’s condition, neither myself, her mom, nor the medical doctors could fix Brenda’s heart. She would live the remaining days of her life with a broken heart.
There are many people reading this who have a heart condition or have loved ones who are living with a heart defect. We know the tender care which must be exercised in living with a broken heart. It may require a change in the way we eat, the way we exercise and the medicines we take.
There is another aspect of having a broken heart—it is the attitude of heart before our God. It may be described as the opposite of pride and arrogance. It was a chief characteristic of our Lord when He walked the dusty roads of Israel. He, who was the One who had created all things, was now in submission to His Father. He lived with a broken heart.
How are we to emulate the attitude which Christ patterned? The most obvious answer is that we are to live with a broken heart. That does not mean that we are to develop a medical heart condition, but rather a spiritual one. It is not only okay to have a spiritually broken heart, it is essential in order to live in victory.
Our hearts need to be crushed and broken by the things which we see in our lives which are contrary to the will of God. In these instances we need to cry out to God and confess our sin in order for Him to forgive and cleanse. This very attitude should also be evidenced as we observe the sins of our nation and of the world.
If there was a single characteristic which described the prophets of the Old Testament, it was their godly sorrow for sin. They very clearly lived with a broken heart. Is it any wonder that the Lord was able to do such mighty works through them?
I think it is time for us to stop and evaluate our lives in view of eternity. More than being brokenhearted because of the loss of a loved one, we need to have our hearts crushed before the Lord. As we examine our lives may we pray with all sincerity: “Lord let me live before You with a broken heart!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 24, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 118:22-24
“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Where do I begin? This is a prophetic passage of Scripture that Jesus used, as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus experienced the rejection of the religious leaders of His day, and many of us experience rejection in our life. I hope to be able to give us some encouragement when we face rejection.
Several years ago I experienced harsh rejection. The only reason for writing about it is to give you a hope and a confidence. Even though you may be rejected by men—you are never rejected by our heavenly Father.
The purpose of my rejection is known only to those who inflicted it. It started with snide remarks and innuendos. Comments became accusations with no basis, so it was hard to endure. Have you ever been there? False statements were made and I found myself feeling like an animal being pursued by hunters ready for the kill.
I want to say right here that I am no perfect example. I make more than my share of mistakes, blunders and oversights. Some of the comments had elements of truth in them, so I could agree to a point, but taken out of context, they became a pretext.
I pray that there may be one or two of you out there who are able to relate to this and I hope that this will be God’s way of sending you assurance. I had those who gave me assurance during my ordeal and it was a blessing.
God was just beginning with us! People came forward to support and stand along beside us. I realized that I was not rejected, but loved and sustained by the Lord. God still continues to surprise us with His new call to exciting ministry.
For over eight years the Lord has given me a vision to write this Daily-E-Votional, which is going out to thousands of people all around the globe.
Here is my conclusion concerning rejection. Jesus was rejected and He was perfect in all ways. Since we are not perfect we can expect to be rejected or at least not appreciated.
When we encounter rejection in our life—whether in the home, at church, at work, or wherever it may be—turn it over to the Lord. Write down on paper what you are encountering and present it to Him in prayer. Keep your eyes fixed steadfastly upon Him and know that He will never, ever reject you.
Now you know a little more about me. I want you to know that I will never reject you. I will pray and intercede for you. We all need that someone who will be constant and based upon God’s Word.
Since God has given us this day—BE GLAD AND REJOICE IN IT!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 12, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 19:1-2
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”
In yesterday’s Daily-E-Votional, I talked about the old time chuck wagon and the “cookie” who had the responsibility of cooking, cleaning, mending and a host of tasks that made him the most valued member of the cattle drive.
There was one task that I failed to mention—he gave direction. How in the world could he do that? The answer is something that is available for us all. Locate the North Star (Pole Star). I am not going to go into the details of how to find it, but once you do, it is always in the same place night after night.
Before I retire each night I go to the front door and gaze into the skies. Even here in the State of Washington, I can usually locate the North Star. The other stars change position during the night and throughout the year, but the good ole Pole Star is always in the same position.
What does this have to do with the “cookie” and his chuck wagon? A great deal! At night, “cookie” would always turn the tongue of the chuck wagon so it would face north. The trail boss could look at the tongue and know what direction to head out the next morning.
It would be ridiculous for me to suggest that people will know the right direction by looking to see where our tongue is pointed, but you may make a connection. They at least should see where we are going by our walk.
Let me close this week by sharing what the apostle Paul shared with the church at Philippi. 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.”
The tongue of his wagon was pointed in the right direction and he wanted others to know that they could follow him with confidence. Can others have that same confidence in you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 22, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 119:33-37
“Teach me, O LORD, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your word.”
I once heard the story of a snooty woman of some wealth who had a small son. She wanted only the best for her son and always insisted on the finest of everything.
She hired a nanny for her son and insisted that he learn to have everything his heart desired. She told the nanny that her son was going to go through life as a wealthy man so he needed to be accustomed to having what he wanted.
The nanny was outside with her young charge when he began to scream at the top of his lungs. His mother flew out into the yard in a rage. “Didn’t I tell you to give my son anything he wanted?” demanded the mother!
“Yes madam,” replied the nanny. “I remembered well what you told me. He wanted to play with a bumblebee so I let him.”
As I read today’s Scripture I see an important truth. It is the secret to learning the truth from God’s Word. What is this amazing secret? It is being teachable. We cannot be taught until we are willing to be taught.
This passage is not asking God to MAKE us do something; rather it shows our submissive attitude toward the process of learning. It is the picture of an eager student who begs the teacher to instruct them.
A skilled musician may have great ability and the music they produce may sound exquisite to the untrained ear, but a professional knows that something is lacking. Even the greatest musician knows that it is important to return to their mentor for more training from time to time.
As we read the words of the Psalmist we might paraphrase it this way: Lord I come under Your authority. Teach me Your decrees. I open my mind for You to give me divine understanding. I will follow where You lead me and find joy in walking in the paths You set before me.
NOT MY WILL, LORD, BUT YOURS BE DONE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 13, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 119:145-148
“I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey Your decrees. I call out to You; save me and I will keep Your statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in Your Word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on Your promises.”
How many times have you complained about never having enough time for Bible study, prayer and meditation? I am not counting the hands, but I would guess that a vast number of you have your hands up.
Back in the 1970’s I was working in a high pressure job and was deeply concerned about this very issue. Try as I might I could not seem to find the time for study. My problem was that I was trying to come up with the solution on my own.
It suddenly dawned on me that I needed to pray and ask the Lord to show me where I could find the time I needed. Almost immediately He answered my prayer.
As I looked at my schedule, I asked the Lord to direct my mind to times I could spend with Him. Immediately I noticed time in the morning before the rest of the family were awake. I figured I could rise 20 minutes early and still get plenty of sleep.
The second segment of pure gold was the lunch hour. Rather than going out to lunch I could bring my lunch and also bring Bible study materials so I would be ready to enjoy an hour with my Lord.
It worked! Not only did it work, but other Christians who worked for our agency were motivated to start their own time of study. At first I felt they were intruding when they dropped in to ask a question about a certain passage, but then I realized that steel sharpens steel. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
Not only did the Lord show me periods of time to spend with Him, I suddenly had more time than ever before. It was a wonderful testimony to His control over our activities.
There is one phrase in Today’s Scripture that I would like to mention; “- – – that I may meditate on Your promises.” What does that mean? I will tell you what it means—it means that we need to hide God’s Word in our heart so we can bring it back to our mind over and over.
How can we meditate on God’s promises if we have not hidden them in our heart? A favorite singing group of ours, Ponder, Harp and Jennings have a song with this phrase: “You can’t stand on God’s promises if you don’t know what they are!” Do you know some of them?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 22, 2008 | Psalm
Psalm 28:6-9
“Praise be to the LORD, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The LORD is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed One. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their Shepherd and carry them forever.”
Several years ago I happened to hear a song that had a terrible depressing line. I had never heard that song before, but it is appropriate for today’s E-Votional. Here is the line I heard: “There’s music all around, but there’s no song in my heart.” How sad. Above all else, we need a song in our heart!
The cry of God’s people for His mercy is to be done so with praise. It is not the cry of a spoiled child, but the victorious cry of total dependency upon His unlimited grace and love. It is from the heart and with a melodious harmony of rejoicing. It starts with, “Jesus Loves Me This I Know,” and ends with the “Hallelujah Chorus!”
God delights in the praises of His people, and I think that this is especially so when we are so filled with praise, that we break out into joyful singing. I love the sentence in today’s Scripture which reads, “My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.”
We need to have more of those times when our hearts leap for joy. Perhaps the opposite of our hearts leaping for joy is having our spirits full of lead. We either break forth in songs of adoration, or we clunk along the dusty road of dismay.
I want to share with you the words of a hymn that expresses our praise to God. It is, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” As you read the words, allow your own heart to lift in song to Him.
All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let Angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him, Lord of all!
Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace, And crown Him Lord of all;
Hail Him who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all!
Let every kindred, every tribe, On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of all;
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all!
O that with yonder sacred throng We at His feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all;
We’ll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all!
In the midst of this world and all of its troubles, testing and strife, God gives us His song. It is a song that allows us to overcome with a song of praise.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and become a real blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
