by Pastor Cecil | Sep 23, 2010 | 1 Peter
I Peter 3:10-11
“He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.”
A number of years ago I was shopping in a discount grocery store. Yep! That’s me — “Look-for-a-bargain Cecil.” As I progressed from aisle to aisle to aisle, I kept passing a mother with three children. The youngest was a girl of about eight years of age.
The mother must have been having a terrible day and appeared to be taking it out on this little girl. She snarled and barked in response to everything the girl did. Her older brothers seemed to shy away from their mother’s tongue.
As I prayed about how to respond, I felt the Spirit’s urge to simply give this little girl the gift of a smile. We were shopping in different directions and therefore we met on each aisle. Each time I would give her a smile. Her little face radiated.
You had to bag your own groceries and it just so happened that this family was next to me. I noticed it was the little girl who did the bagging while her brothers stood aside and did nothing. On a whim, I asked the girl, “Do you work here at the store?” She was surprised and responded with a grin, “No, I am just helping my mom.” I told her how proud her mother must be to have such a good helper.
When the girl finished bagging her family’s groceries, she darted over and began to help bag mine with a huge smile on her face. The mother growled at her that it was time to go and they headed for the door. The last thing I saw was a little eight-year-old girl waving goodbye to me with a huge smile. Without words we can touch those around us and make the way a little easier. Have you given a gift today? Try a smile!
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 | Sep 22, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH (Jehovah), the LORD, is everlasting strength.”
Two cars pulled up in front of my house, each driven by a young man who was armed and had long police records. I sat on the steps waiting for them and knew they were coming. In fact I had urged them to come. It was back when I was a County Juvenile Probation Officer. I had been trying to broker a peace between the two and this was the showdown.
The only way they agreed to surrender their weapons was if I would be present and each would give his weapon to me. Hesitantly they handed them over and then we sat down on the grass and talked about how much better it felt to live in peace rather than conflict.
A humorous side note to this meeting was that a college professor lived across the street from us. He commented a few days later that he was so happy to see me meeting with two of the boys from the Sunday School Class I taught. I didn’t have the nerve to tell him the real story
This Scripture from Isaiah 26 is a promise from God. God has promised us peace in the midst of the storms of our life. In order to claim this promise there are two things we are told to do:
1. Keep our minds stayed on God, and
2. Trust in God forever. That means we remain in constant contact with 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
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 21, 2010 | John
John 14:2-3
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
As I write this, the weather channel is reporting on Hurricane Igor, a major hurricane that is striking the Island of Bermuda. This huge storm was expected and for the past week it was projected to impact Bermuda about this time.
When these major storms approach, warnings are issued to residents and visitors to take extreme caution. Some of the most deadly threats are rip tides. These are generally not seen, but they can sweep someone in the water out to sea in a matter of seconds, even when wading in waist deep water. Some are rescued, but sadly others who ignore the warnings do not survive.
God’s precious Word repeatedly warns us that we must be prepared at all times to be with the Lord. At any moment the trumpet may sound and we will be called to meet the Lord in the air.
Some discount the reality of the “rapture” of the church, but I feel there is more than enough Scripture to support this truth. Even if we are not called to meet the Lord in the air while still alive, we go to be with Him when we breathe our last breath here on earth.
Take time to visualize what it will be like when we are called to be with the Lord for eternity. There will be no more suffering, separation or sobbing. We will know peace and joy forever. It is coming! Are you prepared?
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 | Sep 20, 2010 | Genesis
Genesis 1:27-28
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
A few days ago I was stuck at a road construction site. As I sat there I enjoyed a time of prayer and meditating on a passage of Scripture. I then noticed the bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It read, “Earth is our mother! Treat her with respect!”
Since then I have been thinking of the error of the message this sticker was transmitting. Where in Scripture do we find the idea that the earth is our mother? Not in God’s Word. It comes from the false faith in evolution that we all evolved from some inorganic material and grew from the earth. Wow! That is far more faith than I have!
These same evolutionists have not found evidence that life started here, so it must have been from another planet that was struck by a meteorite and a piece was thrown into space and arrived here to start life. Right! Here’s another big question for these so called solid thinkers: Where did life on the other planet come from? Hmmmm?
Mother earth is not our mother! God is our Father and He created all things. He spoke and the world came into being and He gave mankind the task of overseeing what He created. We might have done a terrible job of it, but the idea of mother earth or mother nature is contrary to God’s Word. I choose to believe God!
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 | Sep 17, 2010 | Mark
Mark 9:36-37
“Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.'”
Back when I was a police officer, I had occasion to find a lost child. The tears would flow freely down the little one’s cheeks, regardless of how I tried to comfort and assure him that in just a few minutes he would be back with mom. It was not until mom’s arms enfolded the little lost child that peace came.
Oh, how much we need to rush into the arms of our Lord, as often as possible and know that we are safe. The storms of life may rage and the world may be against us, but in His arms we are safe and secure. Ahhhh! How sweet it feels!
There have been a few times in my life when I felt as if I were the only one in the world. Standing alone for Jesus in the midst of sin and degradation has always been a challenge. Some of you may be experiencing that right now. My counsel to you is to hold on tightly to the Lord – – – near to His heart!
“Near to the Heart of God“
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
To access Near to the Heart of God, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/neartotheheartofgod 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
