by Pastor Cecil | Mar 31, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 59:16
“But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”
It seems as if I have been preoccupied with my military career this week. There is another observation I would like to share and relate to spiritual truth ― my duty as a missile launch officer.
Missle Silo
I was assigned as a Combat Crew Commander for the Minuteman Missile program and, honestly, cannot recall the first time I went down the elevator into a real launch center, but each trip down was an awe-inspiring experience. There were two sets of doors that took away one’s breath. The first were massive doors about twelve to fifteen feet high and about 15 inches thick. Believe me, it took effort to swing the doors open. But that just permitted entrance into the equipment room.
Getting into the launch capsule itself was another story. The massive 10-ton blast door could only be opened by one of the crew members from inside the capsule. As the huge door began to swing, the officer inside would shout, “Stand clear of the blast door.” That always seemed silly ― as if someone would stand in front of ten tons of swinging door!
Thinking about the huge doors that were designed to protect the missile crew, I think about the protection God gives His children. Please understand that this is not a free ride to a life of ease. God’s people have often been called upon to suffer and even die for Him. But the vital truth is that He has given us eternal life! That is the safest protection we could ever ask for.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 30, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 28:7
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Have you ever stared death in the eye? I recall one moment when it seemed there was no way of escape. It was about 1955 when I was in the US Air Force assigned to a fighter squadron in Rapid City, South Dakota. Our squadron had four fighters that were on alert at all times. It was my turn to work at the alert hanger located near the end of the runway.
One morning I had some free time and was reading in a small observation room that was built on the end of the building. I heard the unmistakable sound of a large B-36 bomber that was coming in for a landing. The fog was so thick that I could not see it and wondered if the pilot could see the ground.
The sound grew in volume and suddenly I saw the huge plane which was off course and heading directly at our hanger. There was no way to escape, so I sat and watched what might have been my last moments on earth. About the time I saw the bomber he saw the hanger and veered sharply to the left. His frantic attempts to land resulted in the jet pods on each side of the plane being torn off.
The Lord spared my life that day. There have been other close calls in my life, but the Lord had a plan and purpose for my still being here. The same is true for you as well. What is the purpose God has for you? Do you know it? Are you following it?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 29, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 28:7
“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Amarillo, Texas. I was a low ranking airman attending jet mechanic school. I say that to explain that we had run out of money before we ran out of month. We were broke!
As we entered our apartment that Sunday afternoon there was very little in the house to eat. We had a can of green beans, part of a loaf of bread and a little milk. We decided we would make a little gravy to put on the bread. It was then that we discovered that the milk had “turned’ and was not fit to use. We ate beans and bread and thanked the Lord for it!
That evening after church we were thrilled to be invited out to a lovely couples home for a snack. I fear we were quite aggressive in devouring the food. When we told them the story of our noon meal they laughed and laughed. What we did not know was that they owned a small grocery store. We were graciously invited to come to the store and open a charge account until payday. Yeah!
The Lord has invited us to come to Him and that He will supply all of our needs. We may go through times of spiritual leanness because we fail to draw upon His bountiful supply. We dine on beans and bread when we could be dining at His table loaded with love, grace and truth. Dig In!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 26, 2010 | Romans
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.”
God chooses and He uses! In the most humble situations His blessed Holy Spirit speaks and brings forth truth. Back in 1898 Grant Tuller was enjoying a snack at a pastor’s home. The jelly was almost gone and in a kind gesture, they passed the remainder to him. He responded, “So this is all for me?” He immediately went to the piano and composed a melody and sang, “All for me the Savior suffered, all for me He bled and died.”
The next day Mr. Tullar received a letter from Carrie Beck who wrote poetry. She included one of her poems and asked if he might be able to compose a tune for the poem. The poem fit perfectly with the tune he had composed the night before.
“Face To Face“
Face to face with Christ, my Savior,
Face to face, what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ Who died for me?
Refrain:
Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory;
I shall see Him by and by!
Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkened veil between,
But a bless’d day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.
Refrain:
Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory;
I shall see Him by and by!
What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened
And the dark things shall be plain.
Refrain:
Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory;
I shall see Him by and by!
Face to face, oh, blissful moment!
Face to face, to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ Who loves me so.
Refrain:
Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory;
I shall see Him by and by!
To access Face To Face, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/facetoface 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
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 25, 2010 | Galatians
Galatians 6:7
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
When I was a County Juvenile Probation Officer, I often accompanied one of the Deputy Sheriffs on patrol or when they had a particular assignment. One of these duties had a direct bearing on my area of responsibility since it involved a young man who had been committed to the State Juvenile Center and from there to the State Mental Hospital.
Both of these institutions were on the other side of the state which entailed a drive of about five hours each way. We were almost to the Mental Hospital when we were stopped by a road construction crew. The flagger seemed interested in talking to us since we were in a marked police vehicle.
We had been stopped for about five minutes when another car approached. The flagman waved his stop sign, but the car plowed into the back of our vehicle propelling us about twenty feet. Fortunately, the deputy had the vehicle in “neutral” rather than “park” or we may have suffered injuries.
The driver of the other car was extremely intoxicated and began to scream at the top of her lungs, “He didn’t stignal! He didn’t stignal!” (Yes, that is the way she said it). She repeated this over and over, even when the local Police agency came and arrested her for drunk driving.
There are many warnings in God’s Word that people ignore to their own peril. In today’s Scripture we are reminded once again of that truth. It is like the old railroad crossing signs that clearly alerted drivers to STOP! LOOK! and LISTEN! It certainly applies in our spiritual life!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
