by Pastor Cecil | Oct 9, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 100:1-3
“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”
The Thirty Years’ War raged from 1618 to 1648, and was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily (though not exclusively) in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe.
During this terrible conflict Martin Rinkart, served as a Lutheran minister Eilenburg, Saxony. The walled city saw a steady stream of refugees pour through its gates. The Swedish army surrounded the city, and famine and plague were rampant. Eight hundred homes were destroyed, and the people began to perish.
There was a tremendous strain on the pastors who had to conduct dozens of funerals daily. Finally, the pastors, too began to succumb. Martin Rinkart was the only one left–doing as many as 50 funerals a day.
When the Swedes demanded a huge ransom, Rinkart left the safety of the walls to plead for mercy. The Swedish commander, impressed by his faith and courage, lowered his demands. Soon afterward, the Thirty Years’ War ended, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand celebration service. It is a testament to his faith that, after such misery, he was able to write a hymn of abiding trust and gratitude toward God.
“Now, Thank We All Our God“
Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and
blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills,
in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to
God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns
with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom
earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
The next time we are tempted to feel discouraged by our problems and demands, just remember what others have gone through and still maintained the joy of the Lord in the midst of the storm.
To access Now, Thank We All Our God, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/nowthankweallourgod 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 8, 2009 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (Amplified)
“But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast. Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.”
I recall the story that was told of a wealthy man who had worked with a home builder for many years. The rich man asked the builder to assist him in constructing a new home. He said that the builder should design it as if it were to be his own home.
The builder began to hold resentment against the wealthy man for asking him to work on his own time to design the home. As the construction started, he showed his resentment by using substandard materials any time it could not be seen.
After many months, the home was completed and he drove to the owner’s home to deliver the keys. The wealthy man smiled and returned the keys to the builder. “The home is yours! It is my gift to you for the many years of dedicated service.”
All of the substandard work and materials made him realize that he had intended to cheat this wealthy man, but he had only cheated himself. It is much the same way with our life.
We try to cut corners spiritually instead of giving the Lord the first fruits of our life. We settle for the substandard rather than God’s best. Let’s go for the gold!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 7, 2009 | Philippians
Philippians 1:20
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
What is your attitude concerning our eternal home? I fear that all too many people live in a world of make-believe when it comes to making sure where they will spend eternity. It seems strange that people greedily accept the idea of aliens from outer space, but scoff at the necessity of being born-again.
What a wonderful consolation it is for those of us who have repented and been born-again believers to know what is waiting for us. Heaven is a place and hell is also a place.
In order to arrive at the gates of hell it is not necessary to do anything. We are born in sin and that is our condemned condition unless we confess the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and invite Him into our heart.
When we stand beside the bedside of a loved one who is a believer, we can rest in the knowledge that there will be a great reunion when we all get to heaven. “Until then” it is just, “We will see you in heaven!” What wonderful comfort!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 6, 2009 | Daily-E-Votionals
2 Corinthians 3:4-5
“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”
Last week I was reading a book by Don Piper, entitled, “90 Minutes In Heaven.” It was wonderful to read about the sights and sounds he encountered, but I was greatly impressed by the ordeal he encountered when he returned to earth and faced excruciating pain to survive.
In the days that followed his miraculous survival of his horrendous crash, family, friends and people from his church were eager to see him and almost always asked if they could help in any way. He always refused their offer.
One of the most insightful parts of Don’s story of recovery was how he fought through self-sufficient depression. As a pastor he had been on the ministry end of things. He was encouraging and helping those who were going through an ordeal.
Suddenly the situation was reversed and he was forced to rely on others for just about everything. It struck at the very heart of his pride. A pastor friend confronted him and told him directly that he had to get his act together and allow people to give him assistance. His failure to do so robbed them of a blessing.
Pride may disguise itself in many forms. It is deceitful. We must realize that pride when we can honestly pray Job 1: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Watch out for sneaky pride!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 5, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10 (Amplified)
“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.”
It seems like a hundred years ago that I was a small boy struggling to memorize Scripture in a Sunday School Class in Camas, Washington. One of the first verses that I ever memorized was Isaiah 41:10.
Across the years I have recited this verse and meditated upon it. That reminds me that it really is vital to memorize a verse before you can meditate on it. As I have contemplated on the meaning I have been encouraged to stay as far away from fear and depression as possible.
I especially like the way the Amplified Bible explains that in reality there is nothing for the believer to fear. If we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, our next awareness is to be in the presence of the Lord. Either way there is nothing to fear.
Depression is our limiting the ability of the Lord to bring glory out of the most impossible situation. Someone has said, “I can’t, He can! That’s all I need to know—let’s go!”
Another of the verses I memorized so long ago was Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” If we truly believe this verse, we will move from victory to victory—regardless of the circumstances. That is the way to live!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
