REJOICE IN THE LORD!

Philippians 4:4 – Devotional

Philippians 4:4

“Always rejoice in the Lord. I repeat, rejoice in the Lord continually!”

We have far too many church members who look like they have just lost their last friend. They not only have sour expressions on their faces, they have sour personalities to match.

Paul repeatedly urges his readers to rejoice. The word he uses for rejoice is the Greek word chaírō. It is pronounced khah’-ee-ro, and it means to be joyous and happy. That means looking like you are happy. If you have the joy of Jesus in your heart, you need to let your face know about it and show it!

For those who have never placed their trust in Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life, there is little or nothing to be happy about. The things of this earth grow dimmer and dimmer as life slips away.

As true believers who have passed from death to eternal life by confessing we are sinners and accepting the blood of Jesus to pay the price for our sin, we are able to rejoice. The things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Please CLICK ON the Donate button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of today, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, we currently have a $2,000 need for July 2025. To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

P.P.S. – You can help us by viewing Pastor Cecil’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@thedailyevotional/videos and subscribing to it. Thanks so much!

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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.

LIVING FOR CHRIST!

Philippians 1:21 – Devotional

Philippians 1:21

“As for me, I choose to live for Christ, and to die is to be with Him.”

I have heard and even preached sermons on living for Christ. Sadly I have seen many people make a miserable mess of their life by failing to follow through on this commitment. The lure of the world is like the siren’s call that inevitably leads to the rocks of destruction.

That leads me to ask the question: Whose call are you listening to? There are many temptations that surround us and in this era of modern media we seem to be swamped by the tempter’s call.

As a pastor I have listened to far too many broken hearted cries from good people who made tragic choices and found their lives ruined by the choices they had made.

The good news is that Christ did not die for good and noble people. He died for sinners and the Word tells us we are all sinners. We constantly need Him to cover our sinful self with His blood. It is only the shed blood of our Savior that rescues us from power of sin and death! Not what we do, but what He has done for us! To live for Christ is to receive eternal life!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Please CLICK ON the Donate button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of today, Monday, June 30, 2025, we currently have a $1,114 need for June 2025 (was $2,000). To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

P.P.S. – You can help us by viewing Pastor Cecil’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@thedailyevotional/videos and subscribing to it. Thanks so much!

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button b.

You can 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.

DO UNTO OTHERS!

Philippians 2:3 – Devotional

Philippians 2:3

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

It is far too easy to downplay the things that are meaningful to another person. They may have achieved some major goal in their life yet it is easy for us to ignore it or act as if it were insignificant.

We need to go out of our way to become excited about some accomplishment that someone shared with us. If someone shares a passage or verse they had memorized we need to explode with joy and congratulations. It was just the response that person needs. Our positive response may lead that person to do even more.

It does not have to be spiritual accomplishments that we praise. I once served as an associate pastor in a large church. Roscoe was a man with a severe learning disorder and could barely talk. He loved to bowl. Somehow I discovered he carried a small book with his weekly bowling scores. Each week I made a point of looking at his book and getting excited about his scores. They were sometimes 25 or 30, but I tried to make him feel special. It not only made Roscoe feel special, it made me feel blessed to spend time with him.

Who do you know that needs to be lifted by your approval? What words can you speak or actions shown that will make that person feel special? Try it!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Please CLICK ON the Donate button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of today, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, we currently have a $1,524 need for June 2025 (was $2,000). To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button b.

You can 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 DAY AT A TIME​​​​!

Philippians 3:12 – Devotional

Philippians 3:12

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me”

I cannot believe how much quicker time passes when you get older. As a kid it seemed as if everything ran in slow motion and the days seemed to drag by. But once I arrived at my seventies, the years began to fly past like watching a picket fence at highway speed. Fast or slow, life is constantly slipping past and another year is suddenly before us.

Some people spend the majority of their time remembering the days gone by. We say that they are living in the past. Others spend much of their time worrying and wondering about the future. As I see it, neither of these choices are worthy of our time. We cannot relive the past (what is done is done). We cannot pre-live the future (we have not been there yet).

That leaves the here and now. There is a familiar quotation that sounds like a Bible verse, but if so I cannot locate it: Only one life and it soon will be past. Only what is done for Christ will last!

My sincere desire is to live each day for Jesus Christ as if it is the last day I have to live for Him. It may very well be the last day and I want most of all to please Him rather than to enjoy any other thing — ONE DAY AT A TIME!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Please CLICK ON the Donations button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of today, 5/14/25, we currently have a $1,293 need for May 2025 (was $2,000). To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

P.P.S. – You can help us by viewing Pastor Cecil’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@thedailyevotional/videos and subscribing to it. Thanks so much!

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button b.

You can 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.

LOOKING FORWARD​​​​!

Philippians 3:13b – Devotional

Philippians 3:13b

” – – forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”

After being freed from the bondage of slavery, Moses sent out twelve spies. Only two returned with a positive report and urged them to go in immediately to possess the land God had given them. One of those two spies was Joshua, the other was Caleb. Upon the death of Moses, Joshua sends out only two spies to Jericho.

Let’s consider a sinner that is introduced in the book of Joshua. Her name was Rahab. She was a foreigner and a prostitute. But she was ready to accept the God who loved her just as she was!

Rahab and her family were spared when Israel defeated Jericho. She did not look back on her sordid past. She took a risk to save the Israelites and God blessed her for it. In Hebrews 11:31, she is mentioned along with the faithful of the ages. In James 2:25-26 she is considered righteous in the eyes of God.

When God’s Word says our sins are forgiven, does that mean we are free or do we carry the terrible burden of sin with us? I fear that there are many who actually receive God’s forgiveness but fail to recognize that He also cleanses (1 John 1:9).

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Please CLICK ON the Donations button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of today, 5/5/25, we currently have a $1,393 need for May 2025 (was $2,000). To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

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.

GRACE AND PEACE!

Philippians 1:2 – Devotional

Philippians 1:2

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

In a world that increasingly is filled with turmoil, strife and blatant sinfulness, we need to discover a place in which to amerce ourselves in that which is sacred and holy. That place is in the sure haven of God’s Word.

It seems that celebrates in our modern culture feel that they are the ones determining our acceptable conduct. That conduct is increasingly crude and an affront to what God desires for His people.

I may seem to be a prude, but I refuse to spend my time watching the godless programs that the major networks spew into the world. Whether I am labeled a prude or not does not matter one iota to me. I would rather have the peace of God than anything this world can offer.

I want to always be remembered as a simple servant of the Lord who was used in a simple way to simply hold fast to the never changing Word of the Lord. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the Word of God is always the same; yesterday, today and forever!

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.