by Pastor Cecil | Oct 30, 2009 | Proverbs
Proverbs 14:26-27
“He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”
Robert Robinson who lived from 1735 to 1790, was saved while attending a service conducted by the famous evangelist George Whitefield. Following his conversion he entered the Christian ministry, but like so many, he would lose his fervor for God.
The words of the hymn “Come Thou Fount” were written to express his own need for a closer walk with the Lord. His prayer is that his heart may be re-tuned to be in perfect harmony with the will of God.
In stanza two he speaks of his conversion. The word “Ebenezer” refers to a time and place when he actually received the Lord into his life as personal Savior and Lord. He goes on to remind himself and others that it is necessary to daily remind ourselves what a debt we owe to the Lord for our salvation at His expense.
“Come Thou Fount“
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount-I’m fixed upon it-
mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wand’ring heart to Thee;
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
seal it for Thy courts above.
To access Come Thou Fount, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/comethoufount in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 29, 2009 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 34:26
“I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”
It is impossible to share the depths of my feelings experienced over the past two days. Never in all of my years of ministry have I been so overwhelmed by love and appreciation. I know I certainly do not deserve it, but it has been refreshing.
When I sent out Tuesday’s E-Votional titled “Live Daily!”, I honestly was not feeling downhearted or in any way slighted. But as I re-read the sentence, “I wonder how many people take the time to read them and if it is a waste of time,” I can see how it might appear that I was depressed.
Actually I was trying to get across the idea that the impact we have on others is not our responsibility, but God’s. One of our readers really hit it on the head: “A friend of mine was asking one day “Where is my fruit?” I told her that we don’t always see the fruit. Recently she explained that God has showed to her that she need not look for fruit and that he was the fruit inspector; she was the one who plants seeds and helps to water other lives.”
Wow! That says it all! I just want to thank all of you who wrote to share your love and appreciation. May God’s richest blessings shower down upon you and give you peace.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 28, 2009 | Philippians
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
It was in August 1989 that I received a call from our oldest daughter who lived a few hundred miles from us. She started the conversation by asking if I was sitting down. I told her I was. She said she was in the hospital in Boise, Idaho, with a very rare heart condition.
Those words gripped me and caused me to immediately go to the Lord to seek wisdom, guidance and strength. When we arrived in Boise, the doctor informed us and Brenda that the only possibility of saving her life was a heart and lung transplant. The prognosis of a critical condition struck like lightning. In spite of all of the efforts of medical science, Brenda had her perfect healing on July 11, 1991, as she was ushered into the presence of the Lord.
There are sometimes traumatic moments in our lives that will change us completely. We may be able to go on, but we will never be able to go back. With a broken heart I read many of your messages that tell of defeat, deceit, divorce, disaster or death. As I read and pray for those of you who have written, there is one certainty—you will never be the same.
When Brenda called on that momentous day, our life and her life changed dramatically. We were not the same family as we were before. She changed dramatically from an indifferent follower to a sold-out soul winner. She accomplished far more for the Lord in the few months she was given than many do in an entire lifetime.
So, how about you? Are you wasting your time and effort to try to get things back the way they were before your traumatic occurrence? If you are, the object of your efforts is YOU! Instead of reaching out to others, you may be self absorbed and introverted.
In the book of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery. That was certainly a momentous moment for him. What did he do about it? He must have learned the Egyptian language so well that he became the head over his master, Mister P’s house. Then he was falsely accused by Mrs. P and thrown into prison for many years.
Joseph’s refusal to wallow in self pity opened the door for him to develop keen organizational skills that became essential when he was promoted to the second highest position in Egypt, and to become the means of salvation for his family (even the brothers who had treated him so cruelly and sold him as a slave).
To me, one of the most revealing aspects of Joseph’s life is to be found in Genesis 50:20. Jacob had died and his brothers feared that Joseph would now retaliate for the evil they had done to him so long ago. They concocted a story that Jacob had told them to forgive his brothers and not harm them.
Joseph gives us words that show his total dependence upon God in the good times or the bad times. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
If you’re in the time of your pain and trial, look to the Lord and be busy about His business. God is able to use our painful trials to do His work. Look to the Lord and find hope!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 27, 2009 | Hebrews
Hebrews 3:12-14
“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
There was a little lady who had a sweet spirit in spite of her many ailments. When anyone would ask Minnie how she was feeling she always replied, “Good, but life is so daily!” I am sure that all of us have felt that way from time to time. We take a step or two forward. Like the old saying, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!”
Sometimes as I sit down at the computer and prepare my Daily-E-Votionals, I wonder how many people take the time to read them and if it is a waste of time. It is at these times that I am prone to use that expression of Minnie’s—”Life is so daily!” Then I pray and realize that I am not responsible for other people’s responses, only my action. The Lord will cause those who have a need to receive what is given. I hope that in itself may be an encouragement for you.
Many times we grow weary in well doing when we fail to see results from our efforts. There have been other faithful servants of the Lord who have labored for years with no signs of acceptance. Perhaps only one person would respond. That is enough! We need to remind ourselves that it is the Lord of the harvest who is in charge. We are His field hands.
We live in a world that is so preoccupied with numbers that we overlook the one or two whose lives have been changed. By our caring, some may find Jesus as their personal Savior. Life may be “so daily,” but it can also be “so fruitful!”
Our Scripture for today instructs us to encourage each other daily. It will lift our spirits to the heavens and put a song in our heart. It will cause us to rise each morning with a song of praise: “LIFE IS SO DAILY – AND I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO GET AT IT!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 26, 2009 | Luke
Luke 8:14-15
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
I have read Jesus parable of the sower so many times I imagine it would be in the hundreds. Even so when Joyce and I read this passage for our devotions this morning I was struck by a new insight. That is the justification of reading Scripture over and over. God’s Word is alive and active and will speak in new ways as we read it with an open heart.
This portion speaks of the seed that fell among thorns. It was choked by three things that the Lord mentions: worries, riches and pleasures. I notice that the plants are not destroyed, but they certainly fail to mature.
Repeatedly the Word of God charges us to not worry. To worry is the opposite of to trust. We seem to have the idea that there are certain things in our life that are too big for God to handle, so we have to worry about them ourselves. Here is a revealing question for you: How has your worry helped any situation in your life? Hummmm.
Riches and pleasures can easily be considered together. We are prone to feel that if we have riches, then the pleasures of life will follow. Sorry to break your bubble, but that is just not the way it works.
Neither the riches nor pleasures of this world will ever satisfy. Only Jesus can fill that void in our heart. Jesus says that the seed on good ground are those with “- – – a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” What ground are you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
