by Pastor Cecil | Apr 30, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 18:2
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Ira Sankey was a singer and song writer who worked with evangelist D.L. Moody. He had experienced an extended time of trial and tears. He cried out to the Lord to receive something new and refreshing for his gospel ministry. It was during this time of prayer that the song, “Hiding In Thee” was born. The Lord had graciously answered his prayer.
About twenty years later, Sergei Rachmaninoff was experiencing many problems in his life, he experienced writer’s block and felt useless. After several years he broke out of his doldrums and composed his second piano concerto. This week’s Daily-E-Votional features both works.
“Hiding In Thee“
O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Refrain:
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.
In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power;
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Refrain:
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.
How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.
Refrain:
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,?
I?m hiding in Thee.
To access Piano Concerto No. 2 & Hiding In Thee, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/pianoconcertono2 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 | Apr 29, 2010 | Luke
Luke 6:38
“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Don was the younger brother of a classmate of mine. After graduation I had lost contact with the family for a few years. It must have been ten years later that I heard a remarkable story about Don.
Don had married and was living in a remote area of eastern Oregon. Don and his family had wanted to move to Portland, Oregon for some time. The problem was that his company had no openings in that area.
Don and his wife began to fast and pray about the move. They determined that they needed a certain amount of income to be able to live in the more urban area of Portland. To put action to their prayers, they began to tithe on the salary they needed.
It was only a short time after their prayer and giving had started that the district manager came to town and informed Don that the company was cutting back and his position had been eliminated. What a blow to their faith! But the next week they still tithed the increased amount.
Things were looking bleak until Don received a call from a competing company from the one he had been working for. They were delighted when they heard his position had been eliminated. They had wanted to hire him earlier now they offered him the new job. Perhaps you can guess what they offered: The location was Portland and the salary was exactly his increased tithe amount. Isn’t God good!
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 | Apr 28, 2010 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 3:8-9
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Do you ever feel that you are lagging behind the times? I was recently thinking about the many changes in technology. Just in the recording field I have found myself out of step. I recall purchasing a new 78 rpm record player only to learn that almost all new records were being produced for the new 33 1/3 rpm format. Rats!
You guessed it ― I bought a new player that played both 78 and 33 1/3 rpm records. Ha! I will fool them, or so I thought. The recording industry seemed to be working against me. They came out with something called reel-to-reel recording. Just as I had my new reel-to-reel unit they came out with compact discs. I am so out of date that I think I will go back to my old 78 rpm!
I am so glad that the Word of God is never changing. There are some who have tried to modernize it and restructure it to fit their lifestyles, but I am here to tell you that it is they who need to change, not God’s infallible Word. God said it, I believe it, that’s good enough for me.
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 | Apr 27, 2010 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 2:4
“On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.”
Dan came into my office to complain about his job at a local potato processing plant. He hated everything about it. He hated the hours he had to work, he hated his bosses, he hated the people he worked with ― on and on the complaints continued.
As Dan talked, I prayed. I knew he would be expecting me to give him some spiritual counsel, and to tell you the truth I was sadly lacking in ideas about how I would respond. Dan finally ran down and I knew ― ready or not, it was my turn.
I am sure it was the Holy Spirit who gave me the wisdom to ask the following question: “Dan, what is the worst job in the plant?” Without hesitation he responded, “That’s easy. It’s cleaning up the rotten potatoes at the end of the assembly line.”
I counseled Dan to ask to be placed permanently in that position and do so with joy. To make a long story short, he did just that. At the end of the week he could hardly wait to give me a report. The smelly position gave him a chance to sing and recite Scripture out loud. His cheery outlook so impressed his supervisors that they kept him working longer than any of the other seasonal workers, and told him that he would be the first to be hired the next season.
Dan captured the principle of serving God instead of serving men. Who are you serving?
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 | Apr 26, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 116:15
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
For many years we have been blessed by supporting the Mexican Indian Training Center. The latest newsletter contains an article by our dear brother, Dan Hall. I want to share his words with you.
“Don Beto Medinilla, was one of the first Christians in the village of Usila. Soon after his conversion and as his faith in the Lord Jesus became evident to all in the area, the once mayor of Usilla suffered the stoning of his house for hours by angry townsmen. His fellow Chinanteco bretheren felt betrayed because he renounced idolatry and the common sinful lifestyle of the place. They were trying to make him recant and turn back to the old ways. But Don Beto’s new faith was rooted in the Rock of our salvation and he continued to believe and serve Jesus Christ. Soon the Gospel was received by others and they began meeting in Don Beto’s house, which became the Usila Church.
To testify of his new life in Christ, he poured out a storehouse full of beer and liquor and used the empty bottles to make a monument in his back yard. There were no half-way thoughts in this man. God used him to bring Luis Pacheco, a Catholic priest, to a living and true faith in Jesus, and was also instrumental in spreading the Gospel to at least fifteen other villages in his region. His home was also the place we stayed at, ate and had medical/dental clinics for many years.
His home and heart was always open to those who served the Lord Jesus. Two years ago, we received word that he was very ill and that preparations were being made for his funeral. But he got well. When we went back to Usila for a Bible Conference a few weeks later, we were greeted by Don Beto who then said, “Hermano Dan (Brother Dan), don’t call me Beto anymore, call me ‘Lazarus’, because the Lord raised me up from my deathbed so that I can go share the Gospel with some people in a nearby village.”
He shared the need of salvation with every friend and relative he could. We visited with Beto a few weeks ago as we heard again the news of his deteriorating health. I asked him, “Beto, you know that the Lord is our Shepherd and He will lead us even beyond death.” He replied, “Dan, Our God is a great God, of course I know He is with me always. I am ready to see Him.”
The Lord finally called Don Beto home on April 6th of 2010. He was known by believers and non-believers alike as one who served Christ faithfully and lived the Gospel to the end of his days. We thank God for blessing us with the life of this special Chinanteco servant and dear brother in the faith.”
I thank Dan for sharing this wonderful story of a fellow saint of God. I look forward to meeting Beto in heaven and rejoicing with him about the goodness of God in giving us salvation that prepares us for eternity.
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
