by Pastor Cecil | Apr 23, 2010 | Luke
Luke 19:3-4
“He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way.”
Fanny J. Crosby had been blind since she was a small girl. She had never seen the people in her church, but knew them only by their voices and in touching them. Yet one night she had a vivid dream.
She saw Jesus walking among the people she knew from her church. She had never seen them before, but could describe them in great detail. Jesus was walking and touching each person who would be with Him in heaven. As He came closer to her she prayed earnestly that he would not pass her by. She woke and wrote the words to this hymn.
“Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior“
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief,
Kneeling there in deep contrition;
Help my unbelief.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in Heav’n but Thee?
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
To access Pass Me Not, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/passmenot 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 22, 2010 | 2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 2:15
“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”
The story is told of a young man who had just graduated from seminary. He had been pastor of his first church for a few weeks and things were not going well. There was an obvious resentment from members of his congregation.
Things went from bad to worse and he felt that the Church Council was about to ask for his resignation. In utter frustration he poured his heart out to the custodian. The man told him it was because of the way he served the Lord’s Supper―he didn’t touch the radiator before serving.
He went to see the former pastor who had retired and told him about his problem and the way the church was responding to him. The old man began to laugh and told him he had forgotten all about the radiator.
Years before the church had purchased a new carpet and static electricity would build up so that when he passed the elements of the Lord’s Supper, a spark would result. He learned that if he touched the radiator first it would solve the problem. He just continued touching it even though there was no reason to do so. He came back to the church and explained his action and the new pastor was accepted.
Some traditions are hard to break. Many are not based upon solid biblical principles and yet they persist. We need to spend quality time in God’s Word to find the true basis for our faith. Is there a radiator in your 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
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 21, 2010 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 5:10
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
On a scorching summer day back in 1969 I finished my tour of duty with the US Air Force and started a trip from Missouri to Idaho. I knew that the first part of the trip would be the most uncomfortable. I was going to cross the State of Kansas in a car with no air conditioning.
I started the trip with water to drink and wet washcloths with which to wipe my face and arms. When I made my first stop for fuel, the temperature was 107° in the shade. Later on it seemed to get even hotter.
In the afternoon I saw a cloud to the northwest and knew that the route I was on would take me that way. Sure enough I entered the cloud and felt a surge of cool air. The temperature kept getting lower and lower and I finally had to roll up the windows. I was pulling into a small town when I heard the radio station announce that the temperature was 90°.
Why did it feel so cool when it was that warm? It was the comparison to the extreme heat I had been experiencing.
I fear that we are in danger of being influenced by the temperature of the world around us to the degree that we fail to have a grasp on reality. There is one way to tell what the temperature really is ― God’s Holy Word! Use this infallible thermometer. It may surprise you what you have been lulled into thinking what is normal.
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 20, 2010 | Philippians
Philippians 4:9
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
What impression are you leaving for people around you? When you are not around, what do they say about you? If they were called upon to write a character sketch of your life what would they say? Pause and think about it.
When I was a County Juvenile Probation Officer, I was often confronted with very unique situations. One really sticks in my mind. I once received a letter from the Superintendant of the state Correction Center for Juveniles. He said that in the next few days one of their former inmates would be stopping by my office.
This was not unusual, but the way he described the young man was. He had been so incorrigible that they had sent him to the State Mental Hospital. The staff there was unable to deal with his behavior so they sent him back. Now I was getting him. The Superintendent suggested that I notify the local law enforcement agencies so they could be prepared to arrest him when he offended, and then keep him locked up for as long as possible! End of letter!
I was just finishing the letter when there was a knock on my door. A young man entered ― he was the one I had just been reading about. I asked him to sit down and prayed for wisdom about what to say.
I asked him what he felt people thought of him. It took some prying, but he finally was able to say that he felt people thought he was a good person. I told him that he was about to see what people really thought of him, and placed the letter from the Superintendent in front of him.
As he read, the color drained from his face. He looked across the desk at me and said he had no idea that he was that bad. (For as long as I continued in my position he was never in trouble again).
The thought goes through my mind from time to time about what people think about me. Do they perceive my good intentions or are they more often than not aware of my faults?
There is an even more pertinent question: What does God think about me? We know in reading the book of Job that God was well aware of Job’s behavior and even bragged about him to Satan. What do you think God would say about us?
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 19, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“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.”
One of the most frightening episodes of police work is finding an unlocked door of a business establishment. Part of our duty was to check doors on a regular basis and it we found an open door we were to check inside to see if there was an intruder who had made entry.
I recall one such incident when I was cautiously inspecting the inside of a business with my flashlight in one hand and my service revolver in the other. I suddenly came face to face with an armed man with a flashlight. It took only a second of terror to realize that it was me! I was facing a full-length mirror. Wow! What a start that gave me.
The place was empty and I called the owner about the open door. As I waited for him to arrive and lock up, I realized just how quickly we face life and death situations in our life.
Facing the reality of our temporary existence makes us realize that we have a choice. We can live our life in fear and panic or in trusting the Lord to protect us in all situations. I choose to place my trust in the God who is the Blessed Controller of All Things! Praise the lord!
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
