LOVE WITH A PURE HEART!

1 Peter 1:22​ –  Devotional

1 Peter 1:22

“Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Holy Spirit in sincere love of the brothers and sisters, love one another fervently and with a pure heart.”

Listen to Pastor Cecil’s Message of the Week & Prayer 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.

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 2022!

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 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.

BE ON ALERT!

1 Peter 5:8 – Devotional

1 Peter 5:8

“Be prepared and alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

One of the major elements in defending against aggression is being on alert at all times. I can still recall the long night hours when I was on alert for any sign of threat to our nation. Thankfully we were never attacked, but there were many simulated threats to insure our readiness to react.

When you are wide awake and expectant it is much easier to react quickly and appropriately. When the night hours slip by and your eyes feel like they are filled with sand, it is necessary to react in a professional manner that only comes from long hours of training.

In our spiritual walk we never know when the enemy will mount an attack. We can almost be certain that this attack will occur when we are weary and worn. If we have not spent the time in self examination, prayer, and Bible study, we will be very vulnerable to his attack.

There is one thing we can be sure about—we will meet our Lord face to face. It may be at the moment our eyes close in death or it may be when the trumpet sounds and we are called up to meet the Lord in the air. Either way, we must be on the alert with our lamps burning bright. Are you on alert

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.

BORN AGAIN!

1 Peter 1:23 – Devotional

1 Peter 1:23

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.”

Being “born again” is actually being born spiritually for the first time. It is a new birth into the everlasting family of God. If God is our Father (He is!), and we are His children (we are), we need to start acting as His children.,

Now there are two primary ways children may act as their father’s children: In obedience or in disobedience. I won’t ask for a show of hands on which is which, but you know where you would place yourself!

My mom used to make me sit on a stool quietly and think about how I had just misbehaved. That was pure torture for me since I seem to have been wired for action and trouble. I never had to look for trouble, it always seemed to be on the look-out for me!

When I gave my heart to Jesus as a young boy, there was a change in my pattern of behavior. I somehow knew at that early age that I wanted to please God and not just try to please my mom. I have not always succeeded, but I’m trying!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.

NEAR THE CROSS!

1 Peter 4:12-13 –  Devotional

1 Peter 4:12-13

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

Fanny J. Crosby was a remarkable woman. There are so many accomplishments in her life that it is hard to comprehend them all. She lost her eyesight because of the treatment of a careless doctor. In spite of her loss she memorized huge portions of Scripture just by listening to her grandmother read them to her. She is credited with writing over 10,000 hymns during her life.

Fanny began writing poetry at an early age, but another amazing fact is that she did not accept Jesus as her personal Savior until she was 31. She was attending a service on November 20, 1850. The congregation was singing a hymn by Isaac Watts; At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light. She knew she needed the Lord and that very night He became her Savior and Lord. Her desire was to always stay close to Jesus who had paid the ultimate price for her salvation. Her desire was to remain near her Lord. She immediately wrote the words to the hymn for this week.

Near the Cross

1. Jesus, keep me near the cross;
there a precious fountain,
free to all, a healing stream,
flows from Calvary’s mountain.

Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,

‘till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

2. Near the cross, a trembling soul,
love and mercy found me;
there the bright and morning star
sheds its beams around me.

Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
‘till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

3. Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
bring its scenes before me;
help me walk from day to day
with its shadow o’er me.

Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
‘till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

4. Near the cross I will watch and wait,
hoping, trusting ever,
till I reach the golden strand
just beyond the river.

Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
‘till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

Enjoy the free inspirational video for the week from Gloryscapes.com by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/nearthecross/

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.