by Pastor Cecil | Sep 23, 2021 | Ephesians
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
One Year Bible Reading for September 23rd:
-
- Isaiah 41:17-43:13
- Ephesians 2:1-22
- Psalm 67:1-7
- Proverbs 23:29-35
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.
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 11, 2021 | Ephesians
BE KIND IN AN UNKIND WORLD!
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 by Pastor Cecil by clicking above on the play button.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
One Year Bible Reading for July 11th:
-
- 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18
- Acts 28:1-31
- Psalm 9:1-12
- Proverbs 19:1-3
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.
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 10, 2021 | Ephesians
FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE!
Ephesians 5:25-26 – Devotional
Ephesians 5:25-26
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.”
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
One Year Bible Reading for July 10th:
-
- 1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14
- Acts 27:21-44
- Psalm 8:1-9
- Proverbs 18:23-24
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.
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 8, 2020 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:25
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.”
What determines a life of success? For some, it may be achieving great prominence or a lofty promotion. I once experienced a little taste of that kind of success when I was elected Student Body President in high school. (Okay, it was a very small high school.)
As a youngster I was blessed to receive words of praise from both my grandfather and my father; they always let me know that they were proud of me. I have also received words of love and devotion from each of my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
The words that struck closest to my heart were some of the final words my precious wife of 62 years spoke before going to be with the Lord. With tears in her eyes, she reached out her frail hand to softly touch mine and said, “Honey, you are love personified!”
Husbands, fathers, all of you men who read this, I beg you to stop trying to be a rock in the garden of life and become fertilizer. Die to yourself in order that your life can become the source of growth in others. Give until it hurts and then gives even more. Become love personified!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 10, 2020 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Do you think you can be good enough to make it into heaven? Do you think that your good deeds need to outnumber your bad deeds to make it into heaven? What does the Bible say about being made right with God?
I am glad to supply the answer. Actually, today’s Scripture supplies the answer. It is more important to read what the Bible says about the matter rather than rely on the supposition of our human reasoning.
Isn’t it great that God has done for us what we could never do for ourselves?! God did it by sending His precious Son, Jesus, to provide eternal life through His shed blood on the cross.
If you have lived your life under the false assumption that you merit heaven by being good enough — think again! I invite you to pray this prayer right now. “Lord Jesus, I come to you as a lost sinner. I can never be good enough to earn entry into Your heaven. I invite You to come into my heart and make me Your child. I want to live for You and serve You. I pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 6, 2020 | Ephesians
Ephesians 4:17-18
“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
It is sobering to observe the way our entire society has become desensitized to depraved and vile behavior. Things that only a short time ago would have shocked and astounded our society are now accepted as the norm. Often when investigators are confronted with murder scenes of abject violence and mayhem the offender often justifies his action by saying, “He did not show me respect so he deserved to die.”
Music that glorifies premarital sex is common and few will even raise an eyebrow. I am told that certain songs even encourage rape and violence. We have winked at perversions until those who engage in such relationships flaunt their sin with impunity and demand to have rights previously reserved for a husband and wife.
Unborn babies have been slaughtered because they would be an inconvenience to the mother. My prayer is that we will be increasingly sensitive to the sinful things around us. May we continually be asking ourselves: “What would Jesus do in this situation?” I pray that we will have the courage to live by God’s righteous standards.
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
