by Pastor Cecil | Mar 30, 2012 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 5:6-7
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.“
There have been times in my life when I felt isolated and alone. It seemed that I was alone and could not sense the nearness of God in my life. When I experienced these times of spiritual drought, I was prone to wonder if Jesus really cared, even though I am usually happy and optimistic. It has been in these times that I have felt the enemy of my soul attack. I rush to God’s Word for comfort.
Frank E. Graeff was known as the “sunshine minister.” He had a cheery disposition, a winsome personality, spiritual optimist, and was a great friend of children. He was known to have a child-like faith. That being said, he did pass through times of deep trials. It was then that he turned to the Scriptures as his guide in the darkness.
As I read the words of this hymn that he wrote, I can see the change from gloom and despair to hope and victory. That is what I want in my life.
Does Jesus Care?
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
To view the GloryScapes inspirational video Does Jesus Care? please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/doesjesuscare/ 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
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 29, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 34:17-20
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”
Have you ever lost a loved one? In the past I have shared with you about losing our daughter, but I feel led to do so again. “Dad, are you sitting down?” Those words came across the phone lines from our oldest daughter, Brenda, some twenty years ago. I told her that I was. She said, “I am in the hospital with heart failure.”
The words struck with the force of a blow to my stomach. I told her that her mother and I would be there as soon as possible. It was over 500 miles from Shelton, Washington to Boise, Idaho, and we made it in record time.
When we arrived, the prognosis was even worse than we had anticipated. Brenda was diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and the only way she could survive was to have both a heart and lung transplant. In the meantime she, like so many others, had to live with a broken heart.
I knew that as much as I wanted to fix my dear daughter’s condition, neither myself, her mom, nor the medical doctors could fix Brenda’s heart. She would live the remaining days of her life with a broken heart.
There are many people reading this who have a heart condition or have loved ones who are living with a heart defect. We know the tender care which must be exercised in living with a broken heart. It may require a change in the way we eat, the way we exercise and the medicines we take.
There is another aspect of having a broken heart—it is the attitude of heart before our God. It may be described as the opposite of pride and arrogance. It was a chief characteristic of our Lord when He walked the dusty roads of Israel. He, who was the One who had created all things, was now in submission to His Father. He lived with a broken heart.
How are we to emulate the attitude which Christ patterned? The most obvious answer is that we are to live with a broken heart. That does not mean that we are to develop a medical heart condition, but rather a spiritual one. It is not only okay to have a spiritually broken heart, it is essential in order to live in victory.
Our hearts need to be crushed and broken by the things which we see in our lives which are contrary to the will of God. In these instances we need to cry out to God and confess our sin in order for Him to forgive and cleanse. This very attitude should also be evidenced as we observe the sins of our nation and of the world.
If there was a single characteristic which described the prophets of the Old Testament, it was their godly sorrow for sin. They very clearly lived with a broken heart. Is it any wonder that the Lord was able to do such mighty works through them?
I think it is time for us to stop and evaluate our lives in view of eternity. More than being brokenhearted because of the loss of a loved one, we need to have our hearts crushed before the Lord. As we examine our lives may we pray with all sincerity: “Lord let me live before You with a broken heart!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 28, 2012 | 2 Samuel
2 Samuel 12:4-7a
“‘Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.’ David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’”
Back in the 1970’s I taught a Bible class at the Idaho State Penitentiary. One of the men had been convicted of murder and was serving a life sentence. One night he was sharing with the group what had happened. His crime was accomplished in the heat of emotion. His evening had begun in a festive atmosphere but ended with murder and ultimately a life behind bars for the rest of his life.
The result of our actions will always result in consequences. The result of doing things God’s way will result in honor and blessing. Refusal to obey God and His commands will carry shame and dire consequences.
In 2 Samuel 11:1, we read; “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army.” What a sad verse. At a time when David should have been with his army he stayed at home. I am sure that he rationalized that he was needed back home, but that was not the place he was called to serve. KINGS LEAD—THEY DO NOT SEND!
You no doubt recall the sad story of David’s sin. He STAYED—He STARED—He STOLE—He SLEW! He was guilty of not going into battle with his men; of committing adultery and of killing Bathsheba’s faithful husband.
David repented of his sin, but there were serious consequences. Like my friend at the Penitentiary, a consequence was required. In David’s case it was the death of his baby and chaos between his sons. It is essential that we stay close to the Lord and live a life that is in His will, not our own self will.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 27, 2012 | 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 26:4-5
“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.”
Since he had become a Christian, Al had always tried to do what was right. He read his Bible and prayed frequently . . . and as he grew spiritually, Al was able to see the hand of God at work in his life.
But then something happened! Al owned a classic automobile that he had restored from the ground up. When it was finished he decided he was going to sell it for a huge profit. Al had been given counsel to honor God with a portion of the profits. He agreed, but thought he had a better plan—keep all of the profits, buy an even more expensive auto to restore that would bring even more profit—then he would be able to give more.
Al rejected the counsel and kept all of the profits with which he bought his new classic car to restore. But, from the very beginning things began to go wrong. There were huge unforeseen costs that drained his money and embittered his heart.
In today’s Scripture we are introduced to a young man who became King of Israel when he was only sixteen. His name was Uzziah. The significant thing that stands out in this passage is that, “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.”
Wouldn’t that be a wonderful description to be said of you, or me—not how smart we are, or what wonderful position we fill, or how much money we make? I would much rather be remembered as a person who does what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 26, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 118:22-24
“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Several years ago I experienced harsh rejection. The only reason for writing about it is to give you a hope and a confidence. Even though you may be rejected by men—you are never rejected by our heavenly Father.
The purpose of my rejection is known only to those who inflicted it. It started with snide remarks and innuendos. Comments became accusations with no basis, so it was hard to endure. Have you ever been there? False statements were made and I found myself feeling like an animal being pursued by hunters ready for the kill. I want to say right here that I am no perfect example. I make more than my share of mistakes, blunders and oversights. Some of the comments had elements of truth in them, so I could agree to a point, but taken out of context, they became a pretext.
I pray that there may be one or two of you out there who are able to relate to this and I hope that this will be God’s way of sending you assurance. I had those who gave me assurance during my ordeal and it was a blessing.
God was just beginning with us! People came forward to support and stand along beside us. I realized that I was not rejected, but loved and sustained by the Lord. God still continues to surprise us with His new call to exciting ministry.
For well over eleven years now the Lord has given me a ministry to write this Daily-E-Votional, which is going out to thousands of people all around the globe. Here is my conclusion concerning rejection. Jesus was rejected and He was perfect in all ways. Since we are not perfect we can expect to be rejected or at least not appreciated. When we encounter rejection in our life—whether in the home, at church, at work, or wherever it may be—turn it over to the Lord.
Since God has given us this day—BE GLAD AND REJOICE IN IT!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
