Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”
Sometimes it seems as if we are surrounded with negative and plain old mean people. It seems as if they delight in the most enjoyable and spiritually rewarding times a drudge. For years I have used the illustration of a pastor who had such a man like this in his congregation. He repeatedly drove the pastor to his knees.
One day a young believer asked the pastor if there was some ministry he could do that would make the load a little easier for the pastor. The pastor asked him to pray specifically for the man, Mr. Scrooge. The young believer began to pray in earnest for Mr. Scrooge. His prayer went something like this, “Lord, sweeten Mr. Scrooge up or take him to heaven.” He prayed this same prayer morning, noon and night.
One Wednesday evening the church had gathered for the mid week prayer service. The pastor called on the young believer to lead the group in prayer. Without realizing it he prayed his standard prayer for Mr. Scrooge. The problem was that now Mr. Scrooge was in the pew directly behind him. When he prayed, “Lord, sweeten Mr. Scrooge up or take him to heaven,” Mr. Scrooge blurted out, “I ain’t going!”
Sadly people like Mr. Scrooge are the examples people think of when they think of Christians. My prayer is that we may all have such a sweet spirit that it will become contagious. That the beauty of Jesus may be seen in and through us.
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
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.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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