DOES JESUS CARE?

1 Peter 5:6-7​ – Devotional

1 Peter 5:6-7

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

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There have been times in my life when I felt isolated and alone. When I experienced these times of spiritual drought I was prone to wonder if Jesus really cared. Even though I am usually happy and optimistic, I have felt the enemy of my soul attack. It is during these times that I rush to God’s Word for comfort.

Frank E. Graeff was known as the “sunshine minister.” He had a cheery disposition, a winsome personality, spiritual optimist, and was a great friend of children. He was known to have a child-like faith. That being said, he did pass through times of deep trials. It was then that he turned to the Scriptures as his guide in the darkness.

As I read the words of this hymn that he wrote, I can see the change from gloom and despair to hope and victory. That is what I want in my life.

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DOES JESUS CARE?

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained; Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress, And the way grows weary and long?

Refrain: Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when my way is dark; with a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades, does He care enough to be near?

Refrain: Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed, to resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief, though my tears flow all the night long?

Refrain: Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye” to the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks—is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Refrain: Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

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

You can access this inspirational video from GloryScapes.com by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/doesjesuscare/

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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HONOR AND LOVE!

1 Peter 2:17 – Devotional

1 Peter 2:17

Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

When I was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, it was common to give and receive hand salutes. The lower ranking individual always saluted first, and his salute was always returned by the officer of higher rank.

When you arrived at a new duty station, one of the first things that was required was to register your automobile. This gave you access to go in and out of the base without stopping to register. A decal was placed on the windshield on the driver’s side; officers had different colored decals from enlisted personnel. When you approached the gate the guard would stand at attention and salute, and you would then return the salute as you passed through.

On one occasion my dad was visiting us from out of state and, for some reason, had used my car to go into town. He was delighted when he returned and the guard saluted him when he passed through the gate back onto the base. The guard had simply saluted the decal identifying a commissioned officer. When I asked him what he did, Dad said he returned the salute.

Military protocol requires giving honor. It is tragic that we fail to honor the God of the universe who has created all things and for whom all things were created. I personally want to give more honor to the Lord than ever before in 2025!

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

– – – 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.

LEARNING TO CAST!

1 Peter 5:6-7 – Devotional

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

I have never considered myself a fly fisherman, but when I was stationed in the northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada, I discovered that only fly fishing was permitted. My learning curve was pathetic. I had more tangled line and snapped flies than I care to remember. Eventually I was able to do a fair job and caught and released many feisty brook trout.

Humility is a quality that is also difficult to attain. I once heard about a pastor that had preached several sermons on humility. After the third or fourth week a member spoke to him after the service. “Thank you, Pastor, for your wonderful series on humility. I really do not have many gifts, but I do take pride in the fact that I have humility.” BEEP! The pastor felt like gagging.

Peter tells us that humility is attained by casting all of our cares on Him. It is not what we do that matters, but what we allow the Lord to do when we cast all of our cares and concerns on Him.

The attainment of humility is never gained by striving but by casting. It is not focusing our attention on ourselves but on the Lord. My desire is to confidently trust everything I am or ever hope to be in the hands of my loving Lord.

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

– – – 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 GROW!

1 Peter 2:2 – Devotional

1 Peter 2:2

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.“

In the northwest it is not an uncommon sight to see bare hillsides where timber has been cut. It is also fairly common to see trucks carrying huge loads of old growth logs. I always marvel at their size as I pass these log trucks.

Many of the logs we see harvested in this part of the country come from third and fourth growth trees that have been planted after previous logs have been harvested. Owners of the land soon plant seedlings and in a short time they are young trees.

Day by day we observe the passing of the saints of God. They have been our mentors and guides, but as the years slip by they pass the torch on to the next generation of believers.

It is time for each believer to recognize that responsibility for growth in the Lord is a fact of life. We need to strive to become “OLD GROWTH” saints of God who will stand shoulder to shoulder creating a mighty forest for the Lord.

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.

PURE MILK OF GOD’S WORD!

1 Peter 2:2 – Devotional

1 Peter 2:2

“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.“

I recall watching our grandchildren tasting their first solid food. It brought back many memories when our three children tasted their first solid food. As I recall it was always mashed potatoes and gravy that I slipped into their eager mouths.

I had copied what I had observed my dad frequently do. It was usually the men in the family who did it. It was never my wife or mom who did the sneaky deed. My wife, Joyce, or my mom would chastise us, but it was fun anyway!

It is humorous to talk about our babies needing their solid food, but all too often we have huge congregations of believers who still exist on predigested spiritual food instead of sinking their teeth into something solid by devoting quality time in the personal study of God’s Word.

As you honestly evaluate your spiritual life, where do you see yourself? Are you able to dig into the solid meat of God’s Word or is it necessary for you to have someone else feed you? It is time for us to grow up!

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

– – – 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.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS!

1 Peter 3:15 – Devotional

1 Peter 3:15

“But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.“

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “First Impressions!” 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 Daily E-Votional 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.