by Pastor Cecil | Jan 10, 2012 | John
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid
My most recent frustration began early Saturday morning. I had just returned from my exercise and sat down at the computer to check messages. When I moved the mouse the screen went blank. I had lost the power supply unit!
Fortunately I had my old computer in the closet and drug it out and immediately discovered that much had changed—I spent hours trying to get it up and running to a degree. Yesterday’s Daily-E-Votional was typed on the old computer. I lacked the addresses so I had to wait until the new power supply unit was installed. Fortunately I have a friend who did it overnight and he delivered it just before our service started this morning. (Are you keeping up with this story of frustration?) Then the repaired computer would not function and I spent more hours trying to call my friend for help. I decided to look at the back of the computer and saw a switch. I flipped it and guess what… Power!
I must confess that the frustration of the past two days has occupied a large part of my mind. (I do not have much to spare!) God gave us a wonderful worship service today and I was able to counsel a few people who had far more frustration in their life than I did.
The bottom line is this: According to today’s Scripture, God promises His wonderful peace. In the stormy times of life we are promised a peace that passes understanding. We do not need to intellectualize it, but to experience it. Thank you Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 9, 2012 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:19-20
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My wife, Joyce, was watching something on TV recently. The question was asked, “What do people do about 70 times a day?” The answer was, they complain. Isn’t that amazing? With all of the blessings we have surrounding us, we complain an average of seventy times a day.
Some people feel that they have an obligation to complain because that’s the only thing they are good at. If the only thing we are good at is complaining, we need to go back to the Word of God and find real purpose in life.
Our family has experienced a small degree of suffering and have always found the Lord to be near and dear during these. Others who have suffered even greater than we have and turned it over to the Lord have become sweeter and have a greater testimony as a result of the ordeal.
I think the answer may be where we focus our gaze. Are we looking at the situation or are we looking at the Savior? Are we focused on what we do not have rather than what we do have? Do we grumble or are we grateful? May others see Jesus in us as we walk day by day.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 6, 2012 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
“I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor is helping families restore broken relationships. I once was called upon to officiate at a funeral service. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Yah!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had ten or fifteen children, spouses and others on their side. He and his family were on one side and she and her family on the other side of the aisle. I had prayed for just the right words and to this day cannot recall what Scripture I used. I had just finished when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot – nor I won’t. The hymn, Draw Me Nearer seems to express her desire toward her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/ 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. – My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go to the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 5, 2012 | John
John 16:3
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Small things can cause as much pain as a major injury. A new pair of shoes caused blisters and bruising on both of my little toes. I was amazed at how such a small irritation can create such havoc in your life. I am not a namby-pamby when it comes to pain. As a matter of fact I do not get deadening when my teeth are filled.
I had to walk around carefully while the toes healed, which brought to mind an incident during my Air Force days. I had slipped while descending polished stairs in my stockings. The little toe on my right foot struck a banister pole. Ouch! I was not sure if it was broken or just bruised.
I went to the emergency room to see what I should do if it was strained and was told that the treatment would be to tape the injured toe to the one next to it. I then asked what the treatment would be if it was broken—I was told that they would tape the injured toe to the one next to it. They said they wanted to x-ray my foot. When I asked why they would want to do that, they said it was so they would know why they were taping the toe. I hobbled out and taped it myself.
In both of those incidents I could have allowed the pain to put me out of service. I made a choice to keep on with my necessary activities until the pain eased up. Spiritually we also encounter painful seasons of life. We have two choices to make…we can drop out because of the pain…or we take up the yoke of Christ and make a difference in the world. I choose the yoke.
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
P.P.S. – 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 | Jan 4, 2012 | 1 Samuel
1 Samuel 17:33
Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
I am too young, I am too old, I am too shy, I am too weak, I am too unprepared and on it goes. These are excuses that are often made to justify not being involved in Christian ministry. It is almost as if some people spend more time and effort searching for excuses than they would have expended actually doing the ministry.
I have been thinking about this since having a conversation recently with one of our subscribers who is blind. I am not sure how many blind folks we have on our list, but there are a number. As we were talking he shared with me about a man who is both deaf and sightless, but he is a pastor. His name is Dr. Francis Casale, who is the pastor of a deaf congregation in California.
There are other believers who have some physical limitation yet devote their limited body to do the work of the Lord. Joni Eareckson Tada is a quadriplegic who has devoted her life to encouraging others with disabilities. She even paints with a brush held in her teeth.
As we consider the days of our life that remain, what are we going to do for the Lord? Are we going to ignore our limitations and move out with confidence that the Lord will use us just as we are to be just what God wants us to be? I pray that we will.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
