THE PERIL OF PRIDE​!

Proverbs 16:18-19 – Devotional

Proverbs 16:18-19

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed, than to share plunder with the proud.“

A pastor powerfully presented a sermon on humility. He hammered against the sin of pride and the necessity for every true believer to be empty of self in order to defeat the terrible sin of pride and self-righteousness.

Following his sermon, a little lady met him at the door. She thanked him profusely and said, “Pastor, this has been the most meaningful series. I do not have many gifts or talents, but I am so proud of my humility.” The pastor felt like vomiting!

Pride is one of our most prevalent and insidious of sins. It creeps into our life as quiet as a butterfly. To understand this tendency toward pride, stop and listen to the many times the words “I” or “Me” dominate our conversations. Even our spiritual music often has a personal focus.

None of us are immune from this horrible sin. The moment we take our eyes off the Lord and focus on ourselves, we are headed toward the slippery slope of pride. Surely the devil howls with delight every time he watches this scene unfold. The way to deal with pride is to spend more time with the Lord and being concerned with others more than ourselves.

Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be 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.

OUR SURE REWARD!

Proverbs 11:18 – Devotional

Proverbs 11:18

“A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.“

Down through the days of my life I have received far more rewards than I honestly do not feel I have deserved. There are also a few times I must confess that I feel I have been slighted after I have sacrificed to give a meaningful gift.

It is at these times I am reminded that I am responsible for continually offering my praise to the Lord in heaven for the multitude of blessings I have received. My aim is to spend the remainder of my days giving glory.

As believers, we have been given the greatest of all gifts that could ever be given, the gift of eternal life. It is mind-boggling to contemplate the glorious eternity that awaits every born-again believer. It is our sure and certain reward!

With our reward waiting for us, we need to re-double our efforts to share this wonderful truth with others. Instead of looking like we have just been baptized in vinegar, we need to appear as if we have just tasted a spoon full of honey. Since we have a sure reward waiting for us, let us share the sweetness with others!

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.

PREREQUISITES​!

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Devotional

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.“

In college there are prerequisite courses required before you are able to enroll in a particular course. In much the same way, God places certain prerequisites in our life’s journey serving Him.

In today’s passage we are told not to lean on our own understanding. We All too often discover that people far too often place too much emphasis on what they know. It is called pride! God hates pride and we need to deal with it.

God gives us two do’s: First, we are to trust in the Lord with all of our heart. That means everything. Second, we are to acknowledge Him in all of our ways. Stop taking the credit that rightfully belongs to the Lord.

The precious promise that God gives us in this passage is that He will direct our paths. That, to me, is better than any Global Positioning System (GPS) that man has ever developed.

Where do you find yourself in the process of meeting God’s conditional promises? I trust that you will learn along with me that God is better able to lead, guide, and direct than we will ever be.

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 NEAREST FRIEND​!

Proverbs 18:24 – Devotional

Proverbs 18:24

“To have a friend a person must them self be friendly, thankfully there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.“

Being alone is a sad and dismal situation. We really do need each other and a friend is one of the greatest possessions we can have. It is a sad and poor person who has no friends. Friends are different from companions. Companions are simply close by, but are not emotionally close so we can share our deepest feelings.

When I resigned as pastor in Burns, Oregon, a close friend, Chris Vosler, gave me a plaque and a card. The plaque reads: A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you’ve been, accepts who you’ve become, and still gently invites you to grow. The card reads: Cecil, Thanks for being that friend. Chris.

As close as our dearest friends may be, we have a friend who is still closer. I am speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who is with us at all times. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is there beside us. When we receive devastating news, He is there to provide the comfort and solace to ease the pain. When we receive news that calls for rejoicing, He makes it even better for He rejoices with us. At all times and in every circumstance, our dearest Friend makes our life worth living.

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.

KEEP AND STORE GOD’S WORDS!

Proverbs 7:1 – Devotional

Proverbs 7:1

“My son, be sure to keep My words and store up My commands within your heart.“

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Keep and Store God’s Words!” 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 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.

THE ONE WE CAN TRUST!

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Devotional

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In everything trust in Him and He will make all your paths straight.“

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “The One We Can Trust!” 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.