NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD!

Colossians 3:17 – Devotional

Colossians 3:17

“‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.'”

The following information on Martin Rinkart was gathered by Greg Scheer:

Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), the author of today’s hymn, was the Bishop of Eilenberg, Germany during the Thirty Years’ War. Since Eilenberg was a walled city it became a place of refuge for fugitives of the war, and also a place of famine and disease due to overcrowding. In 1637 at the height of their misery, Rinkart was the only clergyman left in the city who could perform the 40 or 50 necessary burial services daily — one of which was for his wife. As if that weren’t enough, the city was sacked three times by invaders, one of which imposed a large tribute payment upon the people. During this time, Rinkart managed to find the time to write 7 dramas and 66 hymns.

The hymn “Nun danket alle Gott” was originally titled “Tisch-Gebetlein,” or a “little prayer before the meal.” This humble prayer of thanksgiving is laid out simply and beautifully in the first verse, but it’s the next two verses that expand the hymn’s focus and have given it its lasting appeal. You can see the Thirty Years’ War pressing on his mind in verse two: “And keep us in His grace, And guide us when perplexed, And free us from all ills In this world and the next.”

After a verse of thanks, and a verse that asks for strength during the trials of life, he ends with a paraphrase of the doxology as if to say, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, may the name of the Lord be praised.”

. . . . . . . .

Now Thank We All Our God

Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

. . . . . . . .

You can watch the Now Thank We All Our God video devotiona by going to https://gloryscapes.com/nowthankweallourgod/

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.

WELL DONE MY CHILD!

Colossians 1:28 – Devotional

Colossians 1:28

“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.“

As strange as it may seem, I once was a professor at institutions of higher education. That is just a lot of high sounding words to say I taught classes in criminal justice and sociology at the college level.

As often as possible I attempted to bring spiritual values into the courses and from time to time I was able to see a glimmer of interest from a few of the students. It always reminded me that I was called to proclaim Christ by all means possible.

How do we proclaim Christ? We certainly do it by speaking words that hold spiritual truth, but we also do it by a consistent Christian walk and witness. It is one thing to preach the gospel message but does our walk reflect Christ?

I want the days of my life to show forth a firm and steady determination to be more like Christ in my actions as well as my words. When I stand before my precious Savior I want to hear Him say, “Well done My child!”

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.

OUR LORD LOVES US ENOUGH!

Colossians 3:17 – Devotional

Colossians 3:17

“Let whatever you do in word or deed; do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.“

I was a boy during a time when love and discipline went hand in hand. I received my share of spankings, but the truth be known, I got by with many deeds for which a switch was deserved.

That sounds weird in a day and age when discipline is considered an evil deed and the result is disorder, conflict, and chaos. We humans have a strange habit of going to extremes. From too much to too little we are prone to err.

One of the ways to keep discipline in proper order is to spend time in prayer, before, during and after discipline. The broken hearted prayer of a parent about to dispense discipline will often have a greater effect than the discipline itself.

When we do everything for the Lord, we place ourselves in His loving hands and allow Him to guide us in our actions. I recall once again the words of a juvenile offender under my supervision: “My dad doesn’t love me enough to discipline me.” As we stand before the Lord who died for our sins we can say with complete confidence; “OUR LORD LOVES US ENOUGH!”

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.

LOOK ABOVE THIS WORLD!

Colossians 3:2 – Devotional

Colossians 3:2

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Well educated scientists seemingly have things all figured out. The question arises as to what is it they think they have all figured out, and why does what they have all figured out change on a regular basis?

The answer is that the wisdom of man is subject to the all-knowing mind of Christ who is the blessed creator and sustainer of all things. As long as mankind rejects the truth of God they walk in darkness.

I must confess that there are a vast number of things I do not know, but the things I do not know are insignificant in the realization that the most important thing I do know is that my name is written down in glory and my eternity is assured in the providence of God!

As I am regularly confronted with news concerning the failing health and welfare of friends and family, I have the sweet assurance that the Lord wants me to look above the things of this world and trust Him. When people ask us how to face a dismal future we can with sweet assurance tell them; “LOOK ABOVE THIS WORLD!”

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.

GOD MADE IT ALL!

Colossians 1:16​ –  Devotional

Colossians 1:16

“By Him all things were created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week by Pastor Cecil by clicking above on the play button.

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today 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.

O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL!

Luke 2:15 – Devotional

Luke 2:15

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'”

The beloved Carol “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was originally written in Latin (Adeste Fideles). The words were written by an Englishman, John Wade who had originally intended it as a hymn.

The music to “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. In 1841, Rev. Frederick Oakley revised the lyrics of “Adeste Fideles”.

While it would be an appropriate hymn at any time of the year, it has become a cherished Christmas Carol. Let us all come and adore, Christ the Lord.

“O Come, All Ye Faithful”

1. O Come All Ye Faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

2. O Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

3. All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” from Gloryscapes.com by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/ocomeallyefaithful/

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.