by Pastor Cecil | Apr 8, 2011 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 4:12-13
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”
The other morning I was sitting at my computer, reading message after message of trials and ordeals that people all over the world are experiencing. I suddenly recalled one phrase of today’s hymn; “Just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay.” Wow! That really grabbed me. As bad as things may seem on this side of glory, just a glimpse of the Lord Jesus Christ will make these ordeals fade from view.
Eliza Hewitt collaborated with her friend, Emily Wilson in writing today’s hymn. This beautiful hymn has been an inspiration to many of us who eagerly look forward to that wonderful day when we will rejoice with all of the saints who have gone on before us. What a time of rejoicing that will be!
When We All Get to Heaven
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Click on the following link to access When We All Get to Heaven, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Videos.
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 help! Please consider encouraging one other person to subscribe to our devotionals by going to the Daily-E-Votional.com website and clicking on the “Subscribe” button. This worldwide ministry asks for no funds and is sent to glorify our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 7, 2011 | Proverbs
Proverbs 25:25
“As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.”
Good news generally is quite often generated by good people. One of my dear friends is Mike Keller. Mike lives in Florida and serves as a missionary to eight prisons in that area. This is a mission field that for the most part is seldom touched with the gospel message.
Mike reports that in the month of February there were 28 professions of faith. What a tremendous reward for bringing the message of hope to the lost! But the eight local prisons is not the full scope of Mike’s ministry. Where ever he goes he seeks out opportunities to visit correctional centers.
While Mike and his family were visiting their daughter in Arkansas at Thanksgiving, he visited a Juvenile Detention Center. Here is a letter he received in response to that opportunity to minister:
“I don’t know if you remember me, but you came to JDC in Arkansas and saw me. You gave me a copy of your book. I want to start by saying thank you very much. I read all of your book and it did many things for me. About half-way through the book I felt a change deep inside me. I want you to know that your book helped me more than you know. Your friend, Sam”
Praise the Lord! That is good news! God is still in the business of saving the lost!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
P.S. – You can help! Please consider trying to get one other person to subscribe to the Daily-E-Votional. This worldwide ministry asks for no funds and is sent to glorify our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 6, 2011 | Matthew
Matthew 25:21
“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”
Over the years of my life I have known men and women that I would classify as good and faithful servants. Big deal! What I think does not matter a bag of beans! It is what the Lord thinks that matters.
A quick look at my biography will reveal that I have filled many roles. Some of them have been high stress and extremely sensitive, such as serving as a Minuteman Missile Commander or Nuclear Safety Officer. I have also painted houses, worked for a dairy and performed other menial types of labor. Although I did not always achieve it, my primary goal was to be a Faithful Servant.
The ultimate goal of my life is to enter the gates of heaven and be welcomed by Jesus with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” It send chills up and down my spine to think of it.
So what determines if a person is a good and faithful servant? It is not how good we are or how often we attend church. Today’s Scripture relates to a parable Jesus shared about servants who had been given gifts and abilities. Those who had used the talents given them to provide an increase were good and faithful servants. Are you using your gifts wisely?
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 help! Please consider trying to get one other person to subscribe to the Daily-E-Votional. This worldwide ministry asks for no funds and is sent to glorify our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 5, 2011 | 2 Corinthians
II Corinthians 5:6-8
“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
Being away from home and family is a trial. When I was stationed at St. Anthony, Newfoundland, I knew it would be a year before I returned home. My contact with the family back home was by mail and the weekly phone call we were allowed.
The problem with the mail was that it came in by air and, at our location, it was often delayed for days or even weeks. It was then that someone wiser than I gave me some valuable advice. He said I should rent a post office box in town and have the family send my mail to this address. Canadian mail came in by truck from the southern part of the Island. It worked. When the other men did not have mail, I did!
I can recall driving to an isolated spot halfway up the hill to our radar site from town. It looked out over the Atlantic and was a peaceful and quiet time to read and soak in the words my precious wife had written. I was not home, but those cherished letters were a taste of home.
Those of us who have received Jesus Christ by personal invitation have been given a new home. It is in heaven with the Lord. God’s Word is like a letter to us that we can relish, because it is from our Heavenly Father. It expresses His love for us and His instructions about how we are to live. Park and relish His letter to you!
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 | Apr 4, 2011 | Isaiah
Isaiah 11:6
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”
Last week I conducted a funeral for a WWII veteran. As part of the service the military had sent an Honor Guard. The members of the Honor Guard were dressed immaculately in their dress blue uniforms.
It was prior to the service and the men were standing tall and straight. I was proud to be a veteran as I watched their professional bearing. About fifteen minutes before the service, a darling eighteen month old girl marched up and stood looking at the three men in the detail.
She suddenly raised her hand and waved by squeezing it. At the same time she said, “Hi!” The men smiled and greeted her back. She then went from group to group with the same sweet clutching wave and her sweet, “Hi!”
This tiny girl changed the attitude of many people that day with a simple, “Hi!” It made me stop and ask myself if I am changing my world by going out of my way to greet them with a warm, “Hi!” It doesn’t take much time and effort, but it can make a world of difference to the ones we greet. “Hi!”
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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