THE CRITICAL TEST!

1 John 1:5-7 – Devotional

1 John 1:5-7

“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare unto you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “The Critical Test!” by clicking above on the play button.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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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.

GOD’S EXCELLING LOVE!

1 John 4:16 – Devotional

1 John 4:16

“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.“

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In this week’s featured video devotional, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Charles Wesley has penned so many nuggets of truth in this hymn that you could spend a long time meditating on each short thought. Take a moment today to read through the lyrics carefully and listen to this worshipful piano rendition by Linda Hightower.

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Love Divine, All Loves Excelling – Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art.
Visit us with thy salvation;
enter ev’ry trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into ev’ry troubled breast.
Let us all in thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be.
End of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty, to deliver,
let us all thy life receive.
Suddenly return, and never,
nevermore they temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish, then, thy new creation;
true and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee.
Changed from glory into glory,
till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love and praise.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CLICK HERE to watch the Love Divine, All Loves Excelling video devotional.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

FREE IN GOD’S LOVE!

1 John 4:18 – Devotional

1 John 4:18

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear possesses torment. He that possesses fear is not made perfect in love.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Free In God’s Love!” by clicking above on the play button.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button above.

Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

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.

WALK IN HIS LIGHT​​!

1 John 1:7 – Devotional

1 John 1:7

“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.“

Some people have better night vision than others. I am told it has to do with rods in the retina. I guess my night vision is fairly good, though I am not sure how you are able to compare it with the average … but I do not stumble too often. As a teen I did stumble a few times when I came in after a date with Joyce and did not want to turn on the lights. Mom had a habit of re-arranging furniture!

As a police officer I frequently had to enter dark buildings that had been found unlocked. With only a flashlight to illuminate large warehouse areas, it was vital to only walk in the beam of light.

Jesus is the Light of the World. In order to insure we do not stray into dangerous territory, we must follow in the light of His word. There are people who try to tell us to follow them, but that can lead to great danger.

When we search the word of God and walk in its light, we will be able to stay on the right path and prevent falling into error. It will also lead us to the fellowship of others who are committed to walking in the light.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button above.

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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.

THIS IS LOVE​!

1 John 4:10 – Devotional

1 John 4:10

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.“

I once heard about a couple who made an appointment with a marriage counselor. They had been married for forty years and the counselor wondered why they would want to talk to him.

The wife started out by sayig that she didn’t think her husband loved her—at least he never said he loved her.

When the counselor asked the husband if this were true, he readily agreed.

The husband explained that he told his wife forty years ago that he loved her and that he had not withdrawn that statement. In the husband’s mind that 40-year-old declaration was still in effect!

(I think the counselor wanted to bang his head on the desk!)

It is seldom, if ever, that we choose up sides and talk about the meaning of the word love. Many of use think we have a grasp of its meaning, but there is some doubt that we have plumbed the depths of love’s true meaning.

Here is my candid observation: Love is an emotion.

The Bible says we are to love and, by its very nature, love needs a positive response to that command. We are prone to love only as long as the person loves us in return. Take that response away and we quickly lose the desire to continue loving.

Like it or not, we humans are self-centered and preoccupied with ourselves. If you want an example of this, just stop and listen to someone’s conversation. Note the way they focus on their own interests and welfare.

According to God’s precious Word, we are to love in the same way that Jesus loves us. That means we are to love even when the other persn is not lovable.

When you stop to think about it, that is the way God loves us—when we are the most unlovable. It is while we were unlovable sinners that Christ died for us, and it’s the unlovable people around us who need us to love them—with Christ’s transforming love.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button above.

Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

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.

PREPARE TO CONFESS!

1 John 1:9 – Devotional

1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“

One morning I was waiting at a stoplight about to proceed when suddenly a car ran the red light and careened past me, narrowly missing my left front fender. Most of us will recall cars rushing into an intersection when the light had gone from amber to red, ignoring the danger and in fact, speeding up.

My experience as a police officer leads me to believe that, in almost all of such incidents the offender will deny their offense. Most often they claim, “The light was yellow when I entered the intersection!” RIGHT!

From the days when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, human nature has not wanted to admit its guilt. Even when substantial evidence is provided, denial is still maintained. I have seen police videos showing offenders committing crimes — but even when shown these videos the offender still denies their offense. Go figure!

God wants us to be open with Him and confess our sins. Denial of our offenses will always hurt us more than others. 1 John 1:9 tells us that it is only when we confess our sins that the Lord is able to forgive and cleanse us. Our denial blocks the path of God’s forgiving grace. DON’T DENY IT!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button above.

Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

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.