A RENEWED MIND​​!

Romans 12:2 – Devotional

Romans 12:2

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.“

It seems that we are more in need of a spiritual renewing of our minds than ever before. The media constantly bombards us with images that are far from what is God honoring and soul edifying.

In the past week I have heard at least five or six people mention how wicked and perverse things in the world are becoming. I am generally an optimistic person, but it is harder and harder and harder to find things in our modern society to be positive about.

Having expressed myself, I do not mean that we should throw up our hands in despair. The Lord has always given us His reason for hope. That reason is our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to bring life to a sin-sick world, and He is still the answer in our day and age. If Jesus is the answer to renewing our mind, we need to focus our attention on the process of getting the job done.

If someone wants to really know another person, it is not enough to just have a desire to know them–they have to spend time getting as close as possible to the person. It is the same way with Jesus. We renew our mind by reading His Word and spending time speaking with Him in prayer.

My prayer is that we may renew our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I pray that the world may become illuminated by the presence of the Lord in our lives.

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.

THERE IS A FOUNTAIN​​!

Revelation 1:5 – Devotional

Revelation 1:5

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.“

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The composer of this week’s hymn is William Cowper. He was born in England in the year 1731. He suffered many personal losses during his early years that caused him much mental anguish. Loss after loss of those that were close brought him to the brink of despair.

Through all of his ordeals the Lord kept drawing him. He finally received Jesus as his personal Savior and began writing hymns and poetry. It is fascinating that he lived in a small house just behind the home of his pastor, John Newton, who wrote the wonderful hymn, Amazing Grace. Thank the Lord for the fountain of redeeming blood that cleanses us from all of our sin!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THERE IS A FOUNTAIN!

There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Immanuel’s veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he
Wash all my sins away

Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
Are saved, to sin no more

For since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme
and shall be till I die

When this poor lisping,
stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing thy power to save

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You can go to https://gloryscapes.com/thereisafountain/ to watch There is a Fountain video devotional.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

WHY AM I HERE?

Romans 15:13 – Devotional

Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.“

Well, I find myself at odds with one of the well-known ministers of our day. In recent weks a few readers have forwarded comments made by this man which give his response to the question: “What is the purpose of life?” Here is what he replied: “In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity.”

That response just did not sit well with me (as with some of this other comments). it is easy to make comments, but it is another thing to support one’s comments with Scripture.

As I meditated on what is our real purpose in life, I recalled one of the most fundamental questions contained in the WEstminster Shorter Catechism:

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

Simply living life in order to prepare for eternity leaves many gaps. It places undue focus on our own interests rather than upon the Lord Himself. If our chief aim is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we will spend time in His Word, inquiring of Him what His will is for our life.

Yes, it is preparation for eternity, but we are not the important part of the equation. He is our all in all; our eternity begins the moment we are born again and have our name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. That is our real purpose for being here!

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.

BEHAVE​!

Romans 12:12 – Devotional

Romans 12:12

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, continue steadfast in prayer.“

I am glad I grew up in an era when kids were taught to behave. Countless times I heard that stern word — BEHAVE! I did not appreciate it at the time, but the consistent discipline of my parents helped shape me into the man I became.

Somewhere along the line I learned that I could bring joy to my parents if I would simply behave on my own. That was especially true when I was left unattended. It resulted in satisfaction for them as well as for the Lord.

As we read the words of today’s Scripture, we find instruction to help us behave regardless of where we are. In hope … we rejoice! In tribulation … we are patient! In prayer … we are steadfast.

Where are you at this moment? Wherever you are or wherever you find yourself in the future, remember Romans 12:12. We have a confidence the world can never know. It is the assurance that what God has given us by the blood of Jesus Christ gives us the power and will to BEHAVE!

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.

BE TRANSFORMED!

Romans 12:1-2 – Devotional

Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.“

As I understand it, there was once a chicken and pig who loved farmer Brown. Their talking led to a plan to honor this man who showed them such attention. In any kind of weather he would always appear to feed and care for them. By mutual agreement, they decided to prepare a fine breakfast for him. The hen said proudly, “I will provide the eggs for the breakfast, and you can provide the ham!” The pig thought for a minute and then replied, “That does not seem fair. Your eggs are nothing but an offering, but my ham would require a supreme sacrifice!”

When we read or hear of religious zealots who throw their lives away in suicide missions, we question, “Why are they doing this?” The answer is simply that they have the mistaken notion that they will gain heaven by dying for their cause. I shudder to think of their first moment in eternity when they find they have been deceived and will spend an eternity in Hell.

But what about believers in the Lord Jesus who have been called to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord? It is interesting that Paul calls it “living sacrifices!” In Romans 6:11, Paul says we are to “. . . count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

As we go about our day-to-day activities, how many times do we think in terms of eternity? I think that if we were honest, we would have to confess that our goals and objectives have to do with the things of this world–things which will pass away when we bid this world goodbye. Let me try to apply what Paul has written here–steps which will show that we are paying the cost of discipleship:

1. Consciously offer ourselves to God. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Get all alone where there will be no distractions. Begin by talking openly with the Lord. Tell Him of your love for Him and your desire to be at His disposal. You may even want to hold your hands, palms up, in front of you, as you tell the Lord that you are presenting yourself to Him, to be used by Him in any way He chooses. Ask Him to let you know if you are taking yourself back out of His hands.

2. Recognize that this giving of ourselves to God is the highest form of worship. “ – which is your spiritual worship.” It is much deeper than singing a hymn, giving an offering, or listening to a powerful sermon. It is the one-on-one time alone with God, in total surrender.

3. Stop conforming to the world. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” Boy! That is harder than it sounds. We have become so accommodating of the world’s value system that we seldom realize what we are doing. Ask God to show you the times you are living under the world’s values, not His. As soon as you see what you are doing, stop doing it!

4. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I remember when my son was young they had “Transformer toys.” A transformer is a small toy, like a car, that you would rotate in such a way that it became a fierce looking robot. That is not the transformation Paul is speaking about. It is the renewing of our mind to know what the good, acceptable and perfect will of God is for us.

We can only pay the price of true discipleship by spending quality time in the Word of God, and making a habit of being in prayer continually. If this sounds strange, it only means that we need to sacrifice ourselves to God. The mind is a fantastic thing. We can be talking with someone, and praying at the same time. We can be reading printed material and talking with God at the same time. We can be doing many necessary tasks, and all the while be speaking with the God we have yielded ourselves to.

Sound interesting? Do you want spiritual power that will change your world? Are you interested in being used by God in all you do and say? Follow the steps that Paul gives us!

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

JOYFUL-PATIENT-FAITHFUL!

Romans 12:12 –  Devotional

Romans 12:12

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week & Prayer by Pastor Cecil 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.