AT THE CROSS! – Hebrews 12:2 Devotional

by | Jan 26, 2024 | Hebrews

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AT THE CROSS!

Hebrews 12:2 – Devotional

Hebrews 12:2

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

This week’s hymn was written over 300 years ago by Isaac Watts. It would be impossible to fully know the number of lives it has touched since he wrote it. One of those lives was the blind hymn writer, Fanny J. Crosby. In the autumn of 1850, re­viv­al meet­ings were be­ing held in the Thir­ti­eth Street Meth­od­ist Church in New York City.

Fanny and some of her friends attended each night and she craved for spiritual joy but could not find it. On the evening of No­vem­ber 20, 1850, it seemed to her that the light must in­deed come then or ne­ver. A­fter a prayer was of­fered, they be­gan to sing this hymn. When they sang “Here Lord, I give my­self away,” her soul was flood­ed with a ce­les­ti­al light. She realized what her problem had been. She real­ized that she had been try­ing to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other. She yielded to Him!

AT THE CROSS

1. Alas! and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head, For sinners such as I?

Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

2. Was it for crimes that I had done, He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!

Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

3. Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.

Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

4. But drops of grief can ne’er repay, The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘Tis all that I can do.

Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Are you like Fanny Crosby—looking for joy to fill your soul? Her answer is the answer—Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.

To access this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/atthecross/

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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One Year Bible Scripture for Today

by Pastor Cecil

One Year Bible Reading for January 26th: Exodus 2:11-3:22, Matthew 17:10-27, Psalm 22:1-18, and Proverbs 5:7-14

Scripture Reading for January 26th

New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs Scripture Reading for January 21st: Matthew 17:10-27, Psalm 22:1-18, and Proverbs 5:7-14

If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

LOST AND FOUND! – Matthew 10:39 Devotional

by | Jan 25, 2024 | Matthew

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LOST AND FOUND!

Matthew 10:39 – Devotional

Matthew 10:39

“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.“

You may have heard the humorous anecdote of a man who commented, “I now must admit that I am a believer in the hereafter. It seems like every time I go from one room to another, I stop and ask myself, ‘What am I here after?’” Ouch! That hits pretty close to home!

Have you ever lost something that has special significance to you? Sometimes it is not the monetary value of a item which makes it precious, but the memories that are associated with it. I recently lost about 20 DVD’s of favorite Christian music that I played before services each Sunday. The only thing I can conclude is that they were accidentally thrown away in the trash after a potluck dinner.

Let’s face it — the most precious things in this world will someday be lost in one way or another. If we base our happiness and contentment on the things of this world, we will experience disappointment when they are lost, as eventually they will be.

Today’s Scripture tells us that if we grasp and hold on to the things of this life, we will lose them. But when we lose our life and the things of this life, we will find LIFE … real life. That is what I want to seek and hold onto!

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Your Guide to Read the Bible in One Year

January 25th: Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10, Matthew 16:13-17:9, Psalm 21:1-13, and Proverbs 5:1-6

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If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

ASSURANCE! – Isaiah 41:10 Devotional

by | Jan 24, 2024 | Isaiah

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ASSURANCE!

Isaiah 41:10 – Devotional

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.“

Today’s verse is one of the first verses I ever memorized. Come to think about it, it may very well be the reason that I am known as more optimistic than pessimistic. It is not me, but the Lord that makes the difference.

God gives us a tremendous promise in this verse. He promises to strengthen us, to help us and to uphold us. Do you realize what that promise should mean to each of us in our daily walk? It means that we can claim victory over every situation.

As I read this verse again, I see that our requirement is very minimal. We are not called upon to do great and mighty works. We do not even have to possess super human abilities.

So what is our part? Do not fear and Do not be dismayed. The reason the Scripture gives us for not fearing or not being dismayed is that God is with us and He is our own personal God. With such a powerful God in control we are free to praise Him and give Him the glory and that my dear friend is ASSURANCE!

Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Your Guide to Read the Bible in One Year

January 24th: Genesis 48:1-49:33, Matthew 15:29-16:12, Psalm 20:1-9, and Proverbs 4:20-27

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If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

LOVE COSTS! – 1 John 4:7-11 Devotional

by | Jan 23, 2024 | 1 John

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LOVE COSTS!

1 John 4:7-11 – Devotional

1 John 4:7-11

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.“

I am sick to death of the self-centered, self-seeking concept of love that is to be seen all around us. True love is a love that costs us dearly without the expectation of receiving something.

In my pre-teen years, the school teacher was our ultimate authority. I can recall one teacher who walked around the room with a ruler in her hand. If she was unhappy with something you were doing, she would bring the ruler down across the back of your hand. One day she hit my hand for something and the ruler broke. She went into a tantrum as she blamed me for the broken ruler.

Some years ago I recall reading the illustration of a male teacher who was punishing a class bully. He made the boy go outside and cut a switch and bring it back. The teacher asked the class (most of whom had been bullied by this boy) how many lashes he deserved. It was a significant number.

The teacher called the boy to the front of the room. He was trembling with dread at the thought of his punishment. Instead the teacher leaned across his desk and demanded that the boy give him the punishment. Soon the boy, as well as the entire class was sobbing. They begged the teacher to have the boy stop, but he demanded the full punishment.

Why did the teacher do that? It was to teach his class a lesson about the high cost of love. He explained to them that this was the same love that God demonstrated in sending His precious Son, Jesus, to take our punishment upon Himself. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Have you received God’s greatest gift?

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Your Guide to Read the Bible in One Year

January 23rd: Genesis 46:1-47:31, Matthew 15:1-28, Psalm 19:1-14, and Proverbs 4:14-19

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If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

FAITH-WALKING! – Matthew 14:25 Devotional

by | Jan 22, 2024 | Matthew

Hear Pastor Cecil read today's Evotional

FAITH-WALKING​!

Matthew 14:25 – Devotional

Matthew 14:25​

“Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.“

The fourth watch of the night is the darkest, but it is also the watch that observes the appearance of dawn. For those of us who have worked the “graveyard shift,” it is the most boring, but also the most delightful. It is when you see the first streaks of dawn, the rim of gold on the eastern horizon, and the burst of light when the sun rises to begin its journey for the day.

The disciples of Jesus knew what stormy weather on the water was like. They had perhaps even feared for their lives in previous storms. Now they experienced total shock — Jesus was walking on the water toward their boat!

Peter had fished those very waters and no doubt had been in storms like this before. But never had he experienced someone walking on the water. It was his Lord, and he no longer felt afraid. In fact, he wanted to go to Jesus on the water. Peter was the only man besides Jesus who walked on water. Taking his eyes off the Lord and fearing the water caused him to begin to sink, but when he took the Master’s hand he once again walked on the water to the boat.

When you are laboring in the darkest watch of your personal night, you may feel stark terror. Remember, you are not alone. Jesus is there in the darkness, ready to keep you from sinking. Our only problem is looking at the water instead of the Master who is walking on the water. When we focus our attention on Him, He will keep us from sinking!

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Your Guide to Read the Bible in One Year

January 22nd: Genesis 44:1-45:28, Matthew 14:13-36, Psalm 18:37-50, and Proverbs 4:11-13

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If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

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