by Pastor Cecil | Oct 8, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7
“Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
It was the final service of our annual Camp Meeting. The old tabernacle was crowded on a warm summer evening. The evangelist had been delivered a message outlining clearly the plan of salvation and the penalty that faced anyone who failed to accept the Lord Jesus as personal Savior.
I was sitting with my cousin and across the aisle from us was his dad. We knew that Uncle Harold had rejected the Lord, but were hopeful that this would be the time he would open his heart. The congregation was led in the old invitation hymn, “Softly and Tenderly.”
Wayne and I could see his dad weeping with conviction. We went over to him and pleaded with him to go forward and invite Jesus into his heart. Even though tears were flowing, he shook his head and refused to be moved. As far as we know, he never made that choice. How sad that God’s free gift of eternal life is rejected.
“Softly and Tenderly“
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading;
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies;
mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
O, for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
To access Softly and Tenderly, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly 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 see in the menu on the left “Pages” and then click on “Book by Pastor Cecil.” 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 7, 2010 | Matthew
Matthew 25:13
“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
Recently I was called upon to officiate at a funeral service for a man in his early fifties. As the time for the service approached there was some concern among the members of the family. The wife of the deceased had not arrived.
Someone called her on their cell phone and she assured them that she would be coming in just a few minutes. The scheduled time for the service came and went and still the wife had not arrived. As you can imagine it is impossible to conduct a service without such a significant person present. We were told that she was always late. Finally an hour late, the wife came through the door.
Not only that, she sat down in the reception area and began to visit with family members who had to urge her to get into the chapel for the service to begin—an hour late! It was not being fashionably late, it was being thoughtlessly late!
So how do we go about breaking the terrible habit of being late? The answer is prior planning. Determine how much early you want to be. (By being early you take pressure off people who are depending on you). Once you know the time you need to be there, subtract the travel time involved, the dressing, fussing and fixing time. Hours before, begin your countdown clock. (For instance, I have four hours left, then three and so on.) Get out the door and enjoy the shock on people’s face when you are actually early. It will be priceless!
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 6, 2010 | Isaiah
Isaiah 43:19
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
One of the most memorable days for me was to hold our new baby girl, Brenda Joy, in my arms. It was almost breathtaking. Two years later I had the same gasp of joy to hold our son, Daniel Van. It was three years before our precious Lori Renee became the newest addition to our family.
If we have never experienced a thing before, we cannot fully imagine what it will be like. That’s the expression I am looking for―it’s like! If we have never had or done something similar, we find ourselves repeating―it’s like!―it’s like!―it’s like! But not being able to adequately put it into words. (This is not the same “like” today’s teenagers use repeatededly.)
When we try to explain to an unsaved person the experience of the new birth, it is impossible. As one little lady said, “It is better felt than telt.” The grammar may be wrong, but the meaning is right on!
All through the Bible we read of things that had never happened before and so would be considered impossible. Let me just mention a few from the life of Moses, and this is by no means the complete list: The burning bush; the calling forth of the plagues on Egypt; the pillar of cloud and fire; the parting of the Red Sea; the manna from heaven, and in forty years their clothing or shoes never wore out.
We are told that one day the sky will rip apart and the Lord Himself will call His saints to join Him in the air. There is no way to explain scientifically how this will happen, but it is not necessary to explain it. “It will be better felt than telt!”
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 5, 2010 | James
James 1:19-20
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”
It was over twenty years ago that the incident of the “Old Grouch” occurred. We were enjoying a picnic in our friend’s backyard. The younger kids were playing a game of baseball. An uncle of one of the boys kept coaching his nephew about how he should stand, how he should hold his bat and a few other pointers.
We kept hearing the boy saying something repeatedly under his breath. One of the adults slipped over close enough to hear without being seen. She started laughing uncontrollably at what she had heard. Each time Dick gave one of his pointers, Matt would mutter, “Old Grouch!”
You know, it is often hard to accept instruction, especially when we have not asked for it. It is equally hard to keep silent when we feel that we can offer instruction to someone.
What is the answer? Remain silent as long as possible. This will allow us to have more time to observe in case we are asked for advice. If we are listening, our mouth will not get us into trouble. This will often prevent conflicts from arising. It will also prevent someone from calling us an old grouch.
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 4, 2010 | 2 Corinthians
II Corinthians 4:6-7
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
Back in the late 70’s I pastored a church in Burns, Oregon. We were having a church party and each family was to bring a “white elephant” gift. For those of you who are in the dark, a “white elephant” gift is an inexpensive, humorous item which has little or no value.
We searched around for something to take. I found an old brass pot in the back yard that someone had thrown away long before we moved into the house. It was covered with dirt and grime which testified of its long life exposed to the elements.
Against Joyce’s objections, I brushed away some of the grime (not all, so it could be seen in all of its miserable condition). We wrapped it up in beautiful wrapping paper and away we went to the party.
The couple who chose that gift at random acted pleased as punch. They held it up and people howled with amusement at the silly old pot. That was just the start of a great adventure for the pot. The next holiday that arrived, we received a gift package and when we opened it, there was the brass pot. Back and forth it went between the two families. Any excuse to send the pot was used.
It has been over 30 years ago and still those wonderful memories remain. It was not the silly pot that created the memories, but the thought behind using it to transmit the message that we were thinking of each other.
I think it would be a terrific idea if we were to think of our self as something like an old brass pot that is covered with dirt and grime. The Lord is able use us in spite of our dirt and grime. It is not what is on the outside that matters, but the love of God that transmits His love and concern.
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
