ENTER INTO PEACE!

Isaiah 57:1-2 –  Devotional

Isaiah 57:1-2

“The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.”

Sometimes I feel as if I am surrounded by death and dying. At the moment there are funerals pending and others who are near death’s door. For those who have not established a born-again relationship with Christ these are terrifying times.

For those who have passed from death to life by being born again, the pathway of death leads to the glory that the martyr Stephen experienced as recorded in Acts 7:55-56.

When a believer passes from this life it is like entering into the gates of Paradise. There is no fear and no dread. Jesus described it in His parable about the righteous man, Lazarus being carried into Paradise by angels. No fear in this parable except for the rich man who rejected God and was doomed.

As we look forward to our eternal reward we need not be overcome with fear and dread. We also need to remind ourselves that our loved ones who have died knowing the Lord are now experiencing peace, joy and delight! WOW!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become 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.

DO NOT BE DISMAYED!

Isaiah 41:10 –  Devotional

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.“

Yesterday I focused our attention on the admonition of Isaiah that we need have no fear because the Lord assures us that He is with us. Today I want to zero in on the second of his instructions; that we do not be dismayed. By the way, that is the same as being down in the dumps!

How do we go about overcoming depression and sadness? When bad things happen to good people, how are good people to respond? Well I can certainly tell us what not to do. Do not say cheer up and then walk away thinking we have made their dreary day bright and shiny. If anything we have only added rain on their parade.

Isaiah gives us wonderful clarity in how to deal with people who are feeling at the end of their rope. We are to remind each other that we have the Lord in our life. The blessing of having the Lord in our life is that He promises to: strengthen us, and help us – with the right hand of His righteousness.

Anytime we are feeling at the end of our endurance and resources, just remember that we are His and He is there to take over when we feel depression approach us like a threatening cloud.

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become 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.

DO NOT GO THERE!

Isaiah 41:10 –  Devotional

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

As a young boy I was challenged to memorize this verse in Isaiah 41:10. I will never apologize for using it too often. It is a truth that should be a part of the life of every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

The first truth we are given is to be brave in the Lord. It is not that we are so strong and powerful that our enemies will flee from us, but it is that we serve a God who created all things and possesses the power over all things.

Does that mean that we will be exempted from all of the evil that surrounds us? Absolutely not! We are told that the rain falls on the just as well as on the unjust. That means we will all pass through the valley of the shadow of death as David explains in Psalm 23.

The confidence that the Lord wants each believer to rest upon is that we are never alone in the tribulations of this life. He is always is with us to lead, guide and direct us to be used as He sees fit. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Stay away from the dismal abode of fear. Do not go there!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become 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.

STRONG TO THE END!

Isaiah 41:18 –  Devotional

Isaiah 41:18

“I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

We are in the midst of the 2021 Olympic Games, held this year in Japan. In addition to the stress of the fierce competition are the unusually hot temperatures. It gives graphic meaning to the phrase; the heat of competition.

I know that many of the competitors are born again Christians and regardless of whether or not they win a medal, they have a reward in heaven waiting for them that surpasses anything this old world can offer.

As a young husband, to make ends meet, I worked an extra job as a roofer. On miserably hot days we would start work at first light and tried to get as much done as possible before we could not stand the heat any longer.

The thing that kept us going was the knowledge that relief was coming soon. We sometimes feel that the stresses of this life are more than we can endure, but that is not the case. Our reward is waiting for us and the Lord encourages is to remain STRONG TO THE END!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become 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.

SHORT-TIMERS!

Isaiah 57:1 – Devotional

Isaiah 57:1

“The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil.”

When I served in the military, we had a term for those who were close to being discharged from active duty – – SHORT-TIMERS! The title implied that they could not be relied upon quite as much as those who had a longer commitment.

The reality of life is that our time here on earth is limited. As long as we focus upon what will satisfy our own pleasures, we will be disappointed. It is when we live a life of service to God and to others that we will find real meaning.

There are also many people who struggle with the unknown. The glimpses of glory that we find in God’s Word should be of glorious assurance for those who have received eternal salvation by our faith in God’s wonderful grace.

I have been at the bedside of precious saints of God including my wife and daughter. I want to tell you that there is peace that goes beyond human understanding. I actually longed to be going with them. God assures me that as long as He has work for me I must wait a little longer. Tomorrow I will be sending out a repeat of my Daily-E-Votional called the Sands of Eternity. Watch for it!

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.

TAKE GOD’S HAND!

 Isaiah 41:10 –  Devotional

 Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

In Scripture the right hand is always implied to be the hand of strength. That is not intended to slight those who are left handed but only given as an illustration. It is never our strength that matters, but His strength. Our part is simply to take His hand and allow Him to lead and guide us.

I can recall when our kids were small they seemed to feel safe when they held my hand. Things that I knew to be dangerous were avoided and as long as they held tight they were safe.

I can recall times when one of our kids would run as fast as their little legs would carry them to escape from danger. From time to time they would be running into danger rather than away from danger. At those times I had to intervene to keep them safe.

The Lord knows what lies ahead for us and He knows what is dangerous and deadly. We can take God’s hand and trust Him to care for us as only a loving father can do!

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.