OUR REAL HOME!

2 Corinthians 5:1 – Devotional

2 Corinthians 5:1

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

I think it is safe to say that most of us have had close calls with death. I have listened to stories of deep sea fishermen and pilots that made me wonder how they escaped death. Even those who are the most cautious about taking risks can recall a near miss. My past experience in law enforcement and the military at times brought me close to eternity.

The apostle Paul was a tent-maker by trade. I can almost visualize his calloused fingers and hands. In today’s Scripture, Paul uses his profession as a tent-maker to illustrate a spiritual truth: This human body of ours is not going to survive. There are those who try to reverse the aging process in various ways, but nothing is going to keep us from coming to the end of our life and entering eternity.

It is sad that most of us spend too much time and effort on things that will pass away. By spending so much time on earthly things, we neglect the things that really count—those things that have eternal value. Receiving Christ as our personal Savior is vital to prepare for eternity. Spending time with God in prayer and reading His Word will prepare us for that heavenly home that will never pass away. Which home are you spending your time and effort to build?

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – We need your help. We recently lost a major donor to our ministry.  If you feel lead to help us get DailyEvotionals out, please click on “Donations” in the menu system to the left.

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.

LIVE DIFFERENTLY!

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – Devotional

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Live Differently!” 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.

A CHEERFUL GIVER!

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Devotional

2 Corinthians 9:7

“As every man according as he determines in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “A Cheerful Giver!” 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.

GOD IS ENOUGH!

2 Corinthians 12:10 – Devotional

2 Corinthians 12:10

I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What answer did Paul receive when he prayed for his thorn in the flesh to be removed? GOD IS ENOUGH! Three times Paul prayed for God to remove the thorn and three times the answer was that God’s grace was sufficient.

We all need to learn the same lesson. The sufficiency of God is all we need to bring meaning and purpose to our life. There was a time in my life when I felt that I needed to have my own way. If only I had that request answered by the Lord then everything would be at peace and perfect. It did not happen!

Have you ever experienced that in your life? Are you facing an issue or issues in your life at this very moment in which you feel that if only this or that would happen then you would be at peace and find contentment?

The Lord is the One who is in control and we need to learn the lesson that Paul discovered. In the midst of our weakness and inadequacy God steps in and begins to reveal His power displayed in and through us. I pray that you will allow your personal thorn in the flesh to become the power of God revealed!

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.

CONCRETE WORK​!

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 – Devotional

2 Corinthians 5:17-19

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

I enjoy listening to people talk about what they do. I recall a job I had in my teens mixing concrete. Sand, gravel, and bags of powdered cement were delivered to the job site.

My assignment was to shovel a set quantity of each of those ingredients into a large mixer along with the right amount of water. That was one of the hardest jobs I ever had.

After everything had been properly mixed, the wet cement was poured into wheelbarrows and transported to the prepared forms. Ah, yes, the forms. Without the forms the cement would just flow and puddle out on the ground and be of no use.

The forms had been prepared ahead of time to the proper shape and size. When the wet cement was poured into the form, it was allowed to dry and harden . . . like a rock . . . properly formed for a specific purpose.

There is a startling similarity between the life of a Christian and process of preparing concrete. Without the proper ingredients added in the proper ratio at the proper time, it will result in an unstable and formless foundation.

Spending time with God in prayer and reading His Word will prepare our foundational “forms” for building that heavenly home that will never pass away. Which home are you spending your time and effort to build?

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.

TROUBLES​!

2 Corinthians 6:3-4 – Devotional

2 Corinthians 6:3-4

“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; and troubles, hardships and distresses.”

As I write this, I am listening to a gospel song that proclaims “I’m getting ready to leave this world.”

Are we?

I mean, are we truly looking forward to the day when we will say goodbye to the things of this world and enter our eternal home?

Studying the biographies of some of the greatest saints across the ages, I learned that they often endured troublesome difficulties.

Many faced far greater problems than I have ever faced. Not only that, they dealt with these troubles with confidence in Jesus.

I have frequently heard certain ministers preach, and teach a feel-good gospel. They seem to say that, if you have enough faith, you will never have to deal with sickness, pain, or catastrophic events.

When I hear their teachings, I want to shout out for them to read about the life of Paul.

He endured more persecution than I can imagine, yet he was in the center of God‘s will.

The discovery I’ve made is that we can have victory in the middle of the storms of life.

I recall the song we used to sing when I was a teenager – “troubles may come, and troubles will go; we’ll trust in Jesus come weal or woe”

Now that is my aim in life.

I know that there will be troubles, but my Jesus is in control.

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.