by Pastor Cecil | Dec 16, 2011 | Daily-E-Votionals, Psalm
Psalm 98:4, 9-10
“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD.”
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is probably the oldest Christmas carol we still sing today. The words were thought to have been penned before 800 A.D. While the writer is unknown, he was evidently a scholar with a deep knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments. It seems to present the various prophetic roles Jesus fulfilled when He was on earth.
One of the many tragedies connected with modern music is that our hymns are being neglected and belittled. Deep spiritual meaning is being replaced with words and music that is unclean. This hymn is a prayer for the Lord to come and rescue us from our deplorable condition. How sad that at best, we may only hear this hymn once a year. I pray that the Lord will come into our jaded lives.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Rod of Jesse,
free thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory over the grave.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Adonai,
Who in thy glorious majesty
From Sinai’s mountain, clothed in awe,
Gavest thy folk the elder law.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
To access O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ocomeocomeemmanuel/ 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. You can also find a Kindle version online at Amazon.com.
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 15, 2011 | John
John 17:3-5
Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.
During all my school days (first grade through graduate school) I dreaded taking tests. As I write this, I am sure that I can hear a chorus of “amens.” Tests are one of the terrors students encounter. One of my good friends is a medical doctor and shared with me the ordeal leading up to his boards. He had studied all through the night into the early morning when he heard the sounds of the trash being picked up. Looking out the window my friend saw the garbage man and immediately thought to himself how lucky that man was.
More than one time as I completed a test I would think to myself, “I’m done.” I might just as well have added, “I’m all done for!” Anyway there was a feeling of doing what I could and the results would be determined by the teacher who would be grading the test.
In today’s Scripture Jesus is praying earnestly to the Heavenly Father. The prayer is a fantastic picture of His completed work here on earth. Jesus knew that He would soon die on the cross for the sins of the world. His death on the cross would pronounce victory over Satan and life to all who would receive Him as their personal Savior and Lord.
There is nothing we can do to earn our own salvation. It is only by His shed blood that we are saved. After we have been born again we can learn to know Him better and grow as we do His will for our lives. [but how does one become born again?] He has done it all for us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 14, 2011 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Right! Just what I need, another yoke to crush me to the ground! How much does the Lord expect of me anyway? The answer is: Everything! It is only as we obey His command to take up His yoke that we find rest for our souls.
Back in the 1970’s I was the Deputy Director of the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission. It was a new position and the stress on me was intense. In addition to this I was teaching a few night classes at Boise State University. There just seemed to be no time for my spiritual nurturing.
One evening I was crying out to the Lord for more time to study the Bible and pray; I asked for Him to open my eyes to see times that were available to me that were being taken up with lower priorities. The Holy Spirit brought several to mind, but the most significant was the lunch hour. Here was one solid hour that I could use if I was willing to prepare for it.
I brought my Bible study materials to work and each day at lunchtime I would close the door and relish the time with Him. Something unusual happened. In a short time other men who were Christians began to ask if I could share a spiritual insight with them. My one hour was not simply for my growth, but for ministry. My new yoke was not hard or burdensome at all. I felt new life and vitality as stress eased away. I pray that you will ask the Lord to show you segments of time and use them with joy.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 13, 2011 | John
John 9:24
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
I just read a fascinating article from the International Business Times. The article concerns paralympic silver medalist Monique Vander Vorst. She has been paralyzed from the hip down since she was 13. Recently her wheelchair was stuck by a bicycle as she was training.
Instead of it being a tragedy, it has turned out to be a blessing. After the accident, Monique began to notice feeling in her legs. Soon she was able to walk after a period of 14 years. Think about it! The medical community has been in a quandary about the situation. They doubt that such an accident could restore the use of her legs. But now she can walk!
As we read today’s Scripture we come in on the tail end of one of the miracles that Jesus performed. He had restored the eyesight of a man that was born blind. The religious leaders were enraged because the man had been healed on the Sabbath. (What better day for healing to occur?) They questioned the man’s parents and confirmed that the man was indeed born blind.
Instead of rejoicing that a great miracle had taken place, they interrogated that man and called Jesus a terrible sinner for healing on the Sabbath. They hurled insults at him and threw him out of the Temple. Some people in that day, as in our day, refuse to acknowledge the power to open sin-blinded eyes and change lives.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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
My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 12, 2011 | 2 Kings
2 Kings 6:17
“And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.“
I have had the blessing of knowing a few blind people. At first I was a little uncomfortable when I was around them. I was worried that I would say something or do something that would make them uncomfortable or even irritated with me. On the contrary, they have usually been a delight to be around. As a matter of fact we have several blind subscribers to the Daily-E-Votional.
It has been my experience that many sighted people are far more spiritually blind than some who have lost their physical eyesight. In a manner of speaking we need to pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see what is happening around us.
In today’s Scripture, Elisha was surrounded by an armed force that was sent to capture him. Elisha’s servant was terrified when he woke and saw that they were surrounded. It was then that Elisha prayed this prayer and suddenly the servant could see that God’s army was far superior to the puny human army.
We may be faced with obstacles in our life that seem insurmountable. It is at these times that we need to pray the God of heaven that He might open our eyes in order that we can understand God is in control. Here is the question that we need to ask ourselves: Are we praying for the Lord to give us sight to see His power displayed?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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 My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
