QUALIFIED​!

Ephesians 2:8-10 – Devotional

Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Today I was listening to a local radio station that plays only music from the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. One of the songs was unfamiliar to me and I was struck by the message that it conveyed.

The lyrics said that you have to live right to get to heaven. That false message has been around for generations. IT IS WRONG! The stuff Hollywood has been dishing out for years is false.

No bells ring and we do not become angels. We are a separate creation from the angels and God has graciously given us the opportunity to become the bride of Christ. I think it is natural for us to feel that we have to do something in order to earn our salvation, but it just is not so.

When I was in the U.S. Air Force I served as a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer. There were weeks of schooling followed by hours spent in a simulator.

Every step we took was under the careful scrutiny of our instructors. After successfully completing the required work we received our Missile Combat Officer’s pin. QUALIFIED!

There is no such requirement in the spiritual realm.

There are no classes to take, tests to pass, or evaluations to be made. It is a sincere decision to confess that we are sinners in need of a savior and invite Jesus to come into our heart.

From that very moment we are qualified!

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.

OUR GOD PROVIDES!

Ephesians 3:20 – Devotional

Ephesians 3:20

Our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

It is a miracle that I am still alive today. Food safety guidelines require that certain foods, such as chicken and potato salad, be stored at cold temperatures. My dear old Grandma Shubert lived in another era.

My family would often travel from the state of Washington to the Oklahoma Panhandle to visit my grandparents and other relatives. Many times when we were ready to leave, Grandma would prepare fried chicken and potato salad, put them in a paper grocery bag and send it with us for our lunch on the road. Being summertime, the temperature was very warm and we traveled several hours before stopping for lunch — it was still very hot.

We would open up that grocery bag and thank the Lord for His provision, then dive in. I can never remember a time when any of us got sick from it. I guess it would land us in the hospital if we ate that way today!

Jesus is our ultimate provider. I love the way Paul expresses it: “. . . abundantly above all that we ask or think.” That is the kind of provision that the world will never be able to provide. If you have never received that type of provision, bow your head right now and ask the Lord to give it to you.

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.

WE ARE SPECIOUS!

Ephesians 2:10 – Devotional

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

There is no such word as specious but it rings with sweet memory in my mind. It goes way back when our grandson, Jeremiah was just learning to talk. My wife, Joyce, had been telling Jeremiah that he was special and that he was also precious. Jeremiah grinned and said; “I am specious!”

I think it is accurate (if not grammatically correct) to say that in God’s sight we are indeed; SPECIOUS! Worldly people may mock us and be-little us because of our walk with the Lord, but we need to remind ourselves of the heroes of the faith who have endured mockery, abuse, torture, and even death for the sake of Christ. They were specious!

God has never promised His followers an easy or pleasant life. In fact He has told us to expect to be reviled, persecuted, and rejected. In response to this treatment we are to rejoice and be exceedingly happy. Why? Because we are God’s specious people!

Go out into the world and let your light so shine, that people will be lifted from their pit of despair into the reality that God offers anyone who will to come to Him and be made specious by His saving grace!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become 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.

ONLY BY HIS GRACE​​​​​​!

Ephesians 2:8-9 – Devotional

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

More and more I am thrilled that Jesus opened the gates of glory to those whom were rejected by the self-righteous religious leaders of His day. Those who took pride in themselves were rejected by the Lord. He gave Himself freely to the very ones whom the spiritual elite of His day rejected.

I have always been drawn to those who have been rejected by the so-called normal people of the world. That may be the result of my own rejection in my early childhood days. I was always the last one chosen when teams were selected. I felt that I was considered a liability rather than an asset.

As a young boy, when I received Jesus as my personal Savior, I suddenly felt that I had been accepted just as I was. I was loved by the God of the universe and I now had purpose in my life.

As I read the gospels I discover that Jesus always reached out to the people like me. It was not what I did for Him that mattered, but what I allowed Him to do for me! I still want that for my life. It is not by my works but; ONLY BY HIS GRACE!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become 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.

IMITATORS OF GOD​​​​​​!

Ephesians 5:1-2 – Devotional

Ephesians 5:1-2

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

As a boy I often found myself watching my dad and trying to imitate everything that he did. I know he was trying his best to follow the Lord and as a result I soon discovered that I could follow the Lord on my own.

Yes, I still needed the influence of my dad in my life, but much more so I needed the perfect example of Jesus to be the prime influence in my life. I failed many times, but I always knew that even though I would fail, Jesus would never fail!

As we strive to become imitators of Christ we need to seek the source of Divine guidance. That is in the Bible. We can hear others preach from passages to be found in the Bible, but it is essential to go to the source in God’s Word.

Jesus consistently used passages from the Old Testament and made His listeners discover that God’s Word is the pattern we are to follow. To truly be imitators of Christ we must spend time with Him in His Word!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become 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.

BE KIND!

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Devotional

Ephesians 4:31-32

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.“

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Be Kind!” 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.