PRESUMED GUILTY​​​!

Romans 3:23 – Devotional

Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”“

In the U.S., as in most other nations, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This has produced a mentality that demands that we be proven guilty before we actually are adjudged guilty. As kids we may be accused of some minor indiscretion and cry out, “Prove it!”

When we look into God’s word we discover that we have all been born into sin and are sinners by nature. That means we are not the innocent little creatures that some picture infants to be until they are contaminated by a sinful world.

That fact that we are guilty from the beginning, as a result of Adam’s sin, reveals that we need to be redeemed. Redemption must be provided by a totally sinless human. The only sinless human was and is Jesus Christ.

We are guilty until our sins are confessed and we invite Jesus to come into our heart and become our Savior. He was both God and man and He was not guilty from the beginning, but He became sin that we might have redemption. We are guilty until His blood is applied to our life. Praise the Lord!

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.

AUTHENTIC LOVE​​!

Romans 12:9 – Devotional

Romans 12:9

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.“

Many people give speeches about love, write poems about love, and create stories about love. So why do we have such a lack of love? I think it is because we fail to properly understand the God-given pattern for love.

What is often defined as love is how it makes ME feel. The emphasis is on our own feelings. It is what makes ME feel warm and fuzzy. It is what makes ME feel nurtured and admired. That, my dear friend, is phony and hypocritical love!

Many of us have heard the humorous anecdote about the suitor who writes a note to his sweetheart professing how deep his love is for her … he would climb the highest mountain for her … he would swim the widest river for her, etc. The arduous suitor concludes his love note by saying that he would see his true love on Saturday … IF it doesn’t rain. Ooops! That is not authentic love.

The writer of Romans defines love as not being selfish or self-seeking. He urges us to abhor what is evil and cling to what is good. When we follow that pattern in our own love relationships, we will begin to discover AUTHENTIC LOVE!

Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and show authentic love!

– – – 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.

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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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.