by Pastor Cecil | Oct 15, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 91:4
“He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
My daughter Lori and I have an agreement concerning humming bird cams. When one of us runs across a cam on the Internet, we call the other one and for days or weeks we are able to observe these incredible little creatures.
The tiny eggs are incredibly small and when they hatch it is hard to believe that such a small bird can survive. As a matter of fact they couldn’t without the care and protection of their mother. She faithfully sets on her clutch of eggs until they hatch, then feeds and covers the baby birds under her protective wings until they are able to leave the nest.
The Lord wants to cover us with His wings and provide our every need. He not only provides us with nourishing spiritual food from His Word, He also covers us with His wings and protects us. Any trial we experience is filtered through His tender and loving care for us. He always covers us with His wings.
“Under His Wings“
Under His wings, I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild.
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are over;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I?m safe evermore.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
To access Under His Wings, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/underhiswings 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 a book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. For information on ordering copies please reply to this email. You may want to consider one of the books as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access.
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 14, 2010 | 2 Timothy
II Timothy 4:7-8
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
A mighty king was touring his kingdom one day and noticed a man building his house in the heat of the day. The king sent a servant over to inquire of the man why he was working so hard. The servant returned to the king and reported that this was the man’s own house. He wanted it to become a safe and secure place where he could retire and not have to worry about the future.
Sometime later a violent storm tore through the area where the man lived and destroyed the house and the work of the man’s hands. When the king heard the news of the man’s loss he called the one person he trusted most and sent him on a mission of mercy. His son was to carry a gift box and give it to the man who had lost his house and all of his possessions. Inside the box was the title deed to a new home. It was not like his old house that had been destroyed, but rather a magnificent mansion.
Sadly the king heard reports that the man had not taken possession of the mansion that he had given him. The man was struggling by his own efforts to build a new house, but was living in a dilapidated shanty. The king sent servants to insure that his gift had been delivered and that the man was aware of it. They returned to the king and reported that the gift was still in the box which had never been opened. How utterly sad!
In like manner the King of the universe has sent His precious Son, Jesus the Messiah, as the most wonderful gift we could ever imagine. His gift assures us of eternal life and a mansion so far beyond any mansion of this world that words cannot describe it. In spite of the great gift God has offered, the package often remains unopened. I pray that those who have not opened God’s great gift will do so before it is everlastingly too late.
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 13, 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 neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.”
From time to time, I can vividly recall incidents from my past when, more often than not, I cannot even remember what I was to pick up at the store. Oh, well, I refuse to try and understand the whys and wherefores, but just give the Lord thanks for allowing me to bring these illustrations and make a spiritual application.
The police had arrested a young teen for shoplifting. When I made contact with the boy’s parents I was in for a surprise. The father was a tiny, meek sort of man, just over five feet tall. The mother was several inches taller and had a severe speech impediment, especially when she was nervous.
The boy had become a repeated offender and the prosecutor finally asked for a full court hearing. After the prosecutor stated all of the charges against the boy, the judge asked if the parents had any comment. The mother stood and excitedly began to utter sounds, but it was virtually impossible to understand what she was saying. The judge raised his hand and asked for her to be seated.
He asked the boy’s father to stand. He said, “Sir, I do not mean to be insulting, but I could not understand a word your wife was saying. Could you please tell me what she said?” The tiny man stood and in a loud voice said, “What my wife said was the truth!” With that he sat down. (The judge immediately called for a recess before he burst out laughing).
Speaking the truth before the Lord is never a laughing matter. There will come a day when every secret will be revealed and what is spoken in darkness will come to light. It is for this reason that, as believers, we need to be careful to always speak the truth and speak it in love.
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 12, 2010 | Colossians
Colossians 3:16-17
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”
He’s so heavenly minded he’s no earthly use. For years I have heard people use this expression. I have no idea where the saying started, but I think it is intended to describe a believer who knows God’s truth, but does not apply it.
I recently read a comment by Grant Jeffrey that seems to accurately describe that condition of our modern world: He’s so earthly minded he’s no heavenly use! When I read that statement I was forced to agree that it is all too true.
What would people say about your Christian walk? As we read each of these statements, it is clear that neither is what Christ desires for us. We have been called to live a life that is normal and authentic. Anyone at anytime should be able to see the reality of Jesus living in us.
How do we accomplish this? I think that we can easily adopt the question that was posed in the Christian classic novel, In His Steps by Charles Sheldon: What would Jesus do? We should live such a balanced life that we will show the world that we do indeed, have heaven in our heart!
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 11, 2010 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Sometimes you inherit situations that you would just as soon not receive. Some of these situations are a thorn in your side and force you to trust in the Lord since you are not able to handle it by yourself.
I once was called to be pastor of a church that had a janitor who had been a former member. I never was able to determine why she and her family stopped attending the church, and they were not open to my invitation to attend. I had been at the church for about a year or so when one of our families informed me that this young lady had been hired by a local business. They offered to clean the church free of charge as part of their ministry to the Lord.
I called the woman to ask if she intended to continue as our janitor when she started her new job. This is where the trouble started. As I started to ask about her plans when I heard her brother in the background say, “He’s going to fire you!” I assured her that I was not calling to fire her, but to simply ask what her plans were.
It was not long before the entire family was at the door of the parsonage in an uproar. They were irate that I did not have the decency to fire her in person rather than by phone. As hard as I tried to convince them that she was not fired, they could not be dissuaded. After giving a piece of their mind (that they couldn’t afford to lose) they stormed out in a rage. In their eyes I had been found “Guilty as presumed!”
We can learn a lesson from this type of encounter. We must examine our actions and attitudes to determine if the Lord is pleased. Having done this we can only let go and let God deal with those who have accused us without justification.
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
