GIVING GOD OUR BEST​​!

James 1:12 – Devotional

James 1:12

“Blessed are the ones who endure temptation; for when their actions have been found in favor with God, they will receive the crown of life the Lord has promised to those who love and follow Him.”

In my teen years our family lived a few blocks from a Christian College. It was normal for me to spend much of my free time in and around the campus. The track team would spend several hours each day in preparation for competition with other colleges.

One of the students who was faithful in preparing for each meet seemed to be the most unlikely to succeed. He did not have the special work-out clothes of the others. He wore only his well-worn pants and shirt. I often saw other competitors snicker at the sight of him.

They didn’t know what I knew. He may not have looked like or acted like the more polished athletes, but it was who finished the race and in what order that counted. Quite often Jess was in the lead or near the front.

Remember it is not how we look that matters, but how we finish the race that the Lord has set before us. I want to be one who trusts in the Lord and finishes the race knowing I gave it my best!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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APPROVED BY GOD!

James 1:12 – Devotional

James 1:12

“Blessed are the ones who endure temptation; for when they have been approved, they will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to give to those who love Him.”

I never thought I would see the day when sin would be so blatantly approved of and to live a godly lifestyle would be considered harsh and judgmental. Many people even accept sinful conduct as being open minded and good!

Sorry, that just does not fit in with God’s inspired Word. While it is true that we are called upon to love sinners, we are never to love and accept their sin. We are to warn and rebuke as necessary, but with the awareness that we can easily become guilty of a bitter spirit.

In order to be approved by God we must spend time in His Word and be prepared to open our hearts and listen when He speaks to us. It is easy to become calloused to the sinful conditions around us and lose sight of the path God wants us to take.

There is no way we can live without temptation! That is a fact of life that each of us must face. But rather than being discouraged we must be dependent on the God who loves us enough to come into the world and die for us that we might live for Him!

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.

OUR GENEROUS GOD!

James 1:5 – Devotional

James 1:5

“If any of you has a lack of wisdom, just ask God to give it to you and He will give it. He gives generously and does not criticize you for asking.”

I am so glad we have a God who is generous rather than stingy. There are many man-made religions that demand that their followers do something in order to appease their so-called God.

We should be very careful that we do not fall into a trap of creating our own conditions for finding favor with God. Our God is a God of mercy and grace that reaches us in our fallen condition.

God does not demand that we become “good enough” to deserve His favor. He knows our each and every sin and loves enough to offer us freedom from the price our sin demands.

We can never be good enough to merit God’s forgiveness. The harder we try to be good enough, the more we will realize just how far we fall short of God’s righteous demands. Thank God we serve a God who loves us enough to pay the price for our salvation!

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.

REAL LIFE​!

James 4:14 – Devotional

James 4:14

We are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

I survived another Christmas with only a few pangs. At this season I always recall being with my wife Joyce and our family on Christmas as being a very special day. Joyce and I spent every Christmas together except in 1966 when I was on a remote assignment in St. Anthony, Newfoundland, Canada.

During that Christmas season I was broken up by one song lyric that went; “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.” The year 2016 was my first Christmas without Joyce, but her first Christmas with Jesus. SHE HAD A BETTER CELEBRATION THAN I DID!

I recall the days before Joyce went to be with the Lord. Joyce had just been placed on Hospice Care due to her dementia. She was in a hospital bed in our living room. I was not sure if she understood about her condition, but I spent hours beside her bed holding her hand and sharing my love with her.

When my precious wife took her last breath it was her entry into everlasting life. No more confusion or pain for my sweetheart. She received the reward of eternal life — IT IS REAL LIFE BEYOND OUR IMAGINATION. I can hardly wait!

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.

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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.

THE GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT!

 James 1:17 – Devotional

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

I must confess that when it comes to selecting gifts, I am a complete and utter failure. My wife, Joyce was the one who always seemed to be able to select just the right gift for each and every person.

In today’s Scripture, James introduces us to the ultimate and perfect gift. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. James was the earthly half-brother of Jesus and did not come to faith until after the resurrection of our Lord. But the time was not what was important, but that he received the good and perfect gift!

We who have been born again have the privilege of offering this supernatural gift to a lost and dying world. People around us may scoff and belittle the claims of Christ, but the truth stands firm and true, Jesus Christ is the One and only answer to the sin problem.

God’s gift is good and perfect, but like every other gift, it only has value when it is received and opened. Share this priceless gift with others in order that they might discover that it is the ultimate gift that will last for all eternity!

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.

GOD’S LAWS​!

James 5:8 – Devotional

James 5:8

“You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

Sir Isaac Newton was a very brilliant man. He set forth the Laws of Motion. The first law is: A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by some outside force. The second law has sometimes been called the law of inertia. It states that: A body at rest tends to remain at rest unless impelled by some external force. The third law is: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Alright folks, that is your physics lesson for today!

Just as there are physical laws that are in control of the universe, there are spiritual laws that are designed to draw us closer to the Lord. The first spiritual law of motion is: A soul that moves toward the Lord will tend to continue moving toward Him. The problem is that the devil is trying to draw our attention away from the Lord and if we are not careful our momentum will be stopped.

There is a second spiritual law of motion is: A soul that is at rest concerning God will fail to move toward Him. The third spiritual law of motion is: For every spiritual action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Where do you find yourself in relation to the spiritual laws of motion? Have you made promises to make the Lord a priority in your life, but then failed to act upon it?

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.