OPEN MY EYES​​!

Luke 15:20 – Devotional

Luke 15:20

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

In the parable of the Prodigal Son the wayward son returned to the home of his father. He did not expect to be received as a son, but was in hopes that he could be employed as a servant.

We know the story of how the father was lovingly anticipating the return of his son. He loved the wayward youth and eagerly met him with love and extravagance. It was not because the boy deserved it, but because he needed it. The father was eager to give it to this son who had returned.

Clara Fiske Scott lived from 1841 to 1897 and tragically died after being thrown from a buggy being pulled by a runaway horse. She was a prolific hymn writer, but only this week’s featured hymn is still in circulation. Think of her hymn as it relates to a wayward son who has come home.

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OPEN MY EYES

Open my eyes, that I may see, glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key, that shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.

Open my ears, that I may hear, voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.

Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.

Open my mouth, and let me bear, gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare, love with Thy children thus to share.

Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.

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May the words of this hymn become our constant prayer. In the moments when the cares of this world tend to blind us to the mighty power of God unto salvation, may our eyes see the open arms of the Savior waiting to receive us home.

To view Open My Eyes from GloryScapes, go to: https://gloryscapes.com/openmyeyes/

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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GLORY-PEACE-GOOD WILL!

Luke 2:14 – Devotional

Luke 2:14

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.“

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Glory-Peace-Good Will!” followed by Pastor Cecil’s Prayer by clicking above on the play button.

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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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.

ONE HEARTBEAT FROM ETERNITY​​!

Luke 23:43 – Devotional

Luke 23:43

“And Jesus said unto him, ‘Verily I say unto thee,
today you shall be with Me in paradise.’“

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “One Heartbeat From Eternity!” followed by Pastor Cecil’s Prayer 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 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.

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN​!

Luke 2:16-18 – Devotional

Luke 2:16-18

“. . . They . . . found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

A well-produced, short, animated “Christmas movie” is The Very First Noel and features the voice of Andy Griffith narrating. At one point in the video, the shepherds exclaim in excitement, “Who ever thought we’d be invited? . . . We’ll tell it here, we’ll tell it there, we’ll tell it everywhere . . . “ May we be as excited to accept the invitation and proclaim our Savior’s birth.

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Go Tell It On the Mountain

Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Savior’s birth:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And God send us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

When I am a seeker,
I seek both night and day;
I seek the Lord to help me,
And He shows me the way:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

He made me a watchman
Upon the city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

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You can enjoy this week’s energetic inspirational video, “Go Tell It On The Mountain” by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/gotellitonthemountain/

Happy New Year!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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SILENT NIGHT​!

Luke 2:2-10 – Devotional

Luke 2:2-10

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’”

Several years ago our church had finished a wonderful Christmas Eve service. Earlier there had been candles placed inside white lunch bags that lined the driveway leading to the church.

Joyce and I had volunteered to extinguish the candles after everyone had left. It had snowed a few days earlier and there were still a few inches on the ground. The temperature was below freezing when we crunched through the snow to the far end of the driveway. It was so quiet and beautiful that we were moved in our spirit with the beauty of God’s creation and the carol Silent Night.

The words of this well loved carol were written in 1818 by Josef Mohr after he had seen a play about the birth of Jesus. He was in a reflective mood and walked to a hill overlooking his village in the Austrian Alps. The view of the snow covering the village reminded him of a poem he had written a few years earlier. The poem was about the night the angel announced the birth of Jesus.

The next day he took the words of his poem to Franz Gruber, who had just composed a melody. He re-worked the melody to match the words to the poem Mohr had written and our beloved carol, “Silent Night” was born.

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SILENT NIGHT

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

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You can enjoy this week’s inspirational video, “Silent Night” by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/silentnight/

Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

And Merry Christmas!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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PETITION POSTPONED​!

Luke 1:13 – Devotional

Luke 1:13

“But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.’“

If you are anything like me, you are impatient to receive answers to prayers. I once heard a speaker at a pastor’s conference share his personal frustration with his prayer petitions. It seemed that every time he prayed for someone to be healed they would die soon after.

One day a member of the pastor’s congregation called and asked him to come pray for the Lord to take her very ill father home. The elderly man was in a coma and the doctors had given up any hope for his recovery. The pastor was delighted at the request since most of those he had prayed to be healed had died — this was what he specialized in. After he prayed for the Lord to take the old saint home to heaven, the man made a miraculous recovery and lived for several more years.

Like the three Hebrew men who faced a blazing furnace, they were confident in a God who was able to protect them from the vicious flames. But even if He didn’t they would trust Him just the same. Our petitions may be postponed until later in our life, or even into eternity, but thank God for the assurance that He knows what He is doing and we can trust Him completely!

Blessings dear hearts. 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.