by Pastor Cecil | Oct 22, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 51:6-7
“Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
I am not sure if you have ever been stuck with the task of picking out paint colors for a room. You may think that something is too pink, until you compare it beside red. Tan may appear white when you place it beside brown, but that same tan color will seem to be very dark when placed beside pure white.
It is the same way in our Christian life. When we compare our walk with the sin and degradation of a lost perverted world we can convince ourselves that we look fairly pure and white. It is when we stand next to the measure of God’s Word we can look dark and dingy.
Perhaps it was this awareness of just how impure he was in comparison to God’s holiness that prompted James L. Nicholson, to pen the words to that old hymn of the church, “Whiter Than Snow.” May it also be our prayer.
“Whiter Than Snow”
Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe?
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Refrain: Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;
To get this blest cleansing, I all things forego—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Refrain: Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet,
By faith for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Refrain: Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
The blessing by faith, I receive from above;
Oh, glory! my soul is made perfect in love;
My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,
The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.
Refrain: Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
To access Whiter Than Snow, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/whiterthansnow 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
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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by Pastor Cecil | Oct 21, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 15:1-3
“Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.”
Years ago I happened upon a book that had an impact on my life — “Miracle In Moscow” by David Benson. David was a businessman who made many trips to Russia during the days when the Soviet government fought against true believers of Jesus Christ. They made it a criminal offense to possess a copy of the Bible. In this godless atmosphere, neighbors reported any sort of activity that the police could investigate for violations.
Many home church groups owned only a few copies of the Word and cherished it beyond measure. In one small group there was a precious old couple. Both were terribly crippled with arthritis and felt they had nothing they could do for the Lord. They owned an old manual typewriter on which they typed pages of Scripture to be passed along to believers. They knew if it was used in a normal fashion, the neighbors in the apartment next to them would report the suspicious activity to the police.
Because of their handicapped condition, the wife could strike one letter at a time so slowly that it did not sound like typing to prying ears next door. The husband assisted by inserting blank paper into the roller and removing the typed pages. Many portions of Scripture were created in this manner. God’s Word reached hearts that were eager to hear.
As I read the words that David wrote, I wondered if I had as much love for the Word. I had to confess that I did not and could only pray that God would forgive my indifference and give me a love like I had never had before. How eager are you to search out and discover God’s Word?
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 | Oct 20, 2010 | 1 Peter
I Peter 3:15
“Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
This story is not about tomatoes, and yet it is about tomatoes. One of the many things I love to eat is a juicy, ripe tomato, fresh from the vine at peak season. After enduring months of second rate hot-house attempts at producing the real thing, oh, how sweet to taste the real thing!
One summer Joyce and I were returning from a trip to Idaho to visit my mother. It was a little late in the tomato season, but I had hoped to buy some before returning to Olympia. We stopped at a service station on the high desert of Oregon where I asked the attendant if there were any fruit stands around so I could buy tomatoes.
“You go down to the end of this road, turn left and go until you see this big green house then keep your eyes peeled for some sheep grazing in a pasture. After that there will be a driveway that crosses a little creek. Go down that driveway until you come to the end, and they may have some stuff left.”
I must have been out of my mind to try to follow such directions, but I was desperate for those home grown tomatoes. (As a matter of fact, I found the place and we were rewarded with a basket full of round, red and sweet tomatoes).
As I recall that incident, I think about our spiritual obligation to give directions to people who want to find their way to heaven. We can make it simple or we can make it so complex that it takes a genius to figure it out. Jesus gave simple directions, as recorded in John 3:16, to a brilliant scholar named Nicodemus: “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.” These are the directions to heaven—have you followed them yet?
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 | Oct 19, 2010 | 2 Corinthians
II Corinthians 1:19
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.”
“We should have a huge crowd this Sunday!” From time to time I have made that comment to my wife as we made our way to church. The reason for my prediction was based upon people assuring me that they were going to start attending our services.
Week after week the service would commence and those who had said they would be there weren’t. I have come to the place in my pastoral ministry not to expect people to do what they promise to do. Is that being cynical or being realistic? I think it is just a fact of life.
Leaving the promises of attendance aside, what other things do we promise and then not fulfill? We tell the Lord that we will give our all for Him—but spend our time, treasure and talents on everything else. How that must break the heart of a loving God.
There may have been promises we made to be the Lord in the area of serving. When things are going rough we may pray and tell the Lord if He will just get us out of this mess, we will be there for Him—but are we?
We may have every intention of being there for the Lord in the area of giving. We make the Lord a solemn promise that when the funds start coming in, we will give Him the first fruits of our increase. Then, when the Lord has blessed us financially we still hold onto the money as if it were our own. How long has it been since we made that promise to be there in our giving? We have promised the Lord: “I’ll be there!” Can He count on 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 | Oct 18, 2010 | 1 Thessalonians
I Thessalonians 5:21-24
“Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
Every time I read this or any other Scripture that speaks of holding fast to something, I think of my mom. My mom was the opposite of “hoarder.” She was what may be termed a “flinger.” If she did not know what it was or if it was in the wrong place, out it went.
I can still recall digging through the trash looking for school assignments, dad’s contracts or other things that were very important. The rule became, “If you can’t find it, head for the nearest trash barrel.”
When we would ask mom about why she did it, she would just smile and say, “It didn’t look important to me.” I have heard of kids making excuses for not having papers to turn in because the dog ate it, but I always felt that I was unique in using my mom as my excuse.
That precious little mother of mine was just over five feet tall, but she was a giant in my eyes. Our home was always neat and orderly. It was a haven that we could always count on. Above all, she loved the Lord and taught my brother and me spiritual values. Thanks mom!
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
