KNOW CHRIST FULLY!

Philippians 3:10​ –  Devotional

Philippians 3:10

“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.”

I have always enjoyed the song, “Because He Lives” written and performed by Bill and Gloria Gaither. As I recall it starts out like this: “God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus; He came to love, heal and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!”

Thank God we serve a Savior who is alive. 1. He always was alive! 2. He is alive right now making intercession for us. 3. He will always be alive as we spend eternity praising Him for His wonderful love!

Since Jesus has provided us with resurrection life, how should we then live? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

We are not saved by doing good, but the fruit of resurrection life is seeing the good and doing it. It means doing good to the very ones who have hurt us in some way. The Christ filled life is seeing life as Jesus sees it. Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” Then do it!

Blessings dear heart! 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.

THE REAL YOU!

Philippians 2:3-4​ –  Devotional

Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

If you were asked to describe yourself, what would you say? Without using titles, educational degrees or financial standing, what are the qualities that would best describe you? What makes you the person you are?

Some people feel if they attain a particular goal they have set for themselves, they have arrived! It usually is only a short period of time before they realize that “arriving” is not what they had expected. They may have met their objective, but it only left them feeling empty. They do things for other people expecting them to return the favor. If the response is less than expected, they are crushed.

I love the way Paul explains it in today’s Scripture. He boldly suggests that some people do good works for selfish motives. Their objective is to accomplish things so people will think highly of them. If they are not appreciated they feel that they are failures.

Now is the time for self examination. Are you doing acts of righteousness only to please the Lord or in order to gratify yourself? Let the real you do for others who will never be able to return the favor.

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.

GOD’S SUPPLY!

Philippians 4:19​​ –  Devotional

Philippians 4:19

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

During my teen years I worked for a milk processing plant. Since I was always the lowest man on the list, it was not uncommon to be sent to the supply depot and deliver whatever was needed to meet the needs of whichever department needed it.

If that makes you question what it was that I did, you are not alone. I often asked myself the same question. The easiest answer is that I simply tried to do what I was asked to do in the best and fastest way I knew how.

You know, as I think about it there has not been much change. I have come to understand that the best way for me to serve the Lord is to keep my ears open for His instructions for me to follow.

The times in my spiritual life that I encountered problems were the times I failed to do the Lord’s will, or that I hesitated (drug my feet) before reluctantly obeying. Oh, how much easier it is when we respond without delay! Lead on Lord Jesus!

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.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS!

Philippians 4:8 –  Devotional

Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

There used to be series of capital letters that seemed irrational until you grasped the meaning: GIGO. These letters meant: GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT! What we fill our minds with will result in the actions we take.

We live in a world that is like a cesspool of sin and depravity. That means we must be on guard constantly lest we be swept away with the ugliness that is so prevalent that it seems to have become the norm rather than the exception.

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul is giving them practical advice to be able to contend with the sin that surrounds. He stresses that our thought life determines our actions. What we choose to put into our mind will determine how we act.

What about your thought life? Are you making an effort to spend time in God’s Word and edifying things? Do you set aside time each and every day for your personal devotions and communion with the Lord? THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS!

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.

OTHERS!

Philippians 2:3 –  Devotional

Philippians 2:3

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

We live in a dog-eat-dog world that glorifies individual desires above the concern to serve others. Self-help gurus stress the importance of glorifying self regardless of what others think or feel. The message of the cross is one of self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.

It is interesting that we do not have to learn self-centered behavior. We come into the world kicking and screaming to be fed or changed at any and all hours of the day or night. We can tolerate that behavior in infants, but sadly we have grown adults that still express that same behavior.

I am sad to say that we have Christians who also display this pattern of life. They are not so much interested in serving others but in having others serve them. I am always impressed by Stephen who was chosen to serve tables set for widows and orphans. That did not restrict him from preaching the cross and led his being able to give his life for the sake of Christ. May we all live for Christ and for others!

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.

I CAN DO IT!

Philippians 4:12-13 –  Devotional

Philippians 4:12-13

“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I can recall many years ago when I was just a lad, thinking that I could accomplish some feat that was actually beyond my boyish ability. When my dad offered to do it I would refuse his help and say, “I can do it!” I was usually wrong!

I fear that many times we find ourselves in the same spiritual quandary. We try to do things our way, on our terms, and on our schedule. We fail to wait for the Lord to give us the approval and seem to feel that we can wait until we make a mess of things before we call upon Him to help us.

Paul writes to the church at Philippi and to us in our day, what he has experienced in his ministry. There has been good times and desperate times. The vital lesson that he wants to share with us is that God uses both the good times and the not so good times to get the glory and accomplish His purposes.

If you have not discovered the power God brings as we go through the tough times, get prepared for a rich blessing! God always gets the victory!

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely 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.