by Pastor Cecil | Apr 13, 2012 | Luke
Luke 1:31-33
“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob?s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.“
In the early 1900’s, a woman by the name of Lela Long heard a medical missionary on furlough from China share the story of his work. Whenever someone came to him for treatment he would always tell them the story of Jesus.
One morning, before the doors of the clinic were opened, there was a knock at the missionaries door. There stood an elderly woman, stooped with age. He could tell by the dust on her feet and clothing that she had come a long way. He treated her and as always, told her about Jesus. As she heard the beautiful story of Jesus love, she opened her heart to receive Jesus as her personal Savior. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she accepted the gift of eternal life.
Quite some time had passed and there was a knock at the missionary’s door. When he opened the door, he found the same old woman that had come to him several weeks before. She said, “Sir, He has saved me and I know He lives in my heart. He has made my life so happy! But sir, I have forgotten His name. Could you please tell me his name again?” The missionary repeated over and over again the name, “Jesus,” “Jesus,” “Jesus.” Each time the little old lady echoed that name, “Jesus.”
After hearing this story, Lela Long wrote the following hymn:
Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know
There have been names that I have loved to hear,
But never has there been a name so dear
To this heart of mine, as the Name divine,
The precious, precious Name of Jesus.
Refrain: Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And He’s just the same as His lovely Name,
And that?s the reason why I love Him so;
Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.
There is no name in earth or heav’n above,
That we should give such honor and such love
As the blessed Name, let us all acclaim,
That wondrous, glorious Name of Jesus.
Refrain: Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And He’s just the same as His lovely Name,
And that?s the reason why I love Him so;
Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.
And some day I shall see Him face to face
To thank and praise Him for His wondrous grace,
Which He gave to me, when He made me free,
The blessed Son of God called Jesus.
Refrain: Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And He’s just the same as His lovely Name,
And that’s the reason why I love Him so;
Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.
To view the GloryScapes inspirational video Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/jesusisthesweetestnameiknow/ 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 | Apr 12, 2012 | Joshua
Joshua 1:8
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Having the responsibility to lead a congregation of believers is an awesome task. You cannot believe the number of times I reach up to the Lord in prayer for His guidance. Early on I was aware that it was not what I said or how I said it that would make a difference for my people. It was what God said and how I made it acceptable to them.
I am sure that there have been times when more of Cecil came through than God’s Word. I hang my head in shame when I come to that realization. It makes me want to redouble my effort to get back to the basics of God’s Word as the most vital element in the life of the believer.
Many years ago I made a covenant with the Lord that I would spend at least five minutes each day reading God’s Word. It is one thing to preach to people about the necessity of spending quality time in the Bible, but I had to practice it personally. It was not very much, but it established a discipline that resulted in my spending hours reading it. I also learned to write passages on 3X5 cards and carry them with me. Even for those who are not able to memorize, this practice will put the Word into their heart.
Today’s Scripture gives a fantastic promise. When we place a priority of reading, thinking and memorizing, God says we will be prosperous and successful. If we want true spiritual meaning in our life, this is the answer. I challenge you, read The Word!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 11, 2012 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. (The Amplified Bible)
There is a lot of fear going around these days. Fear of the failing economy, fear of medical difficulties, fear of what people will think, fear of failing, fear of tomorrow, fear of the unknown—you name it—and we can and do develop a fearful attitude.
I especially like the way The Amplified Bible uses numerous nuances of the original Hebrew text in order to clarify the meaning. We should read that first phrase over and over again: Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you.
We may want to argue with others that our situation is different and that we really have something to fear, but God says we don’t. The reason that we need not fear is that He is with us.
If we go back into the Old Testament and read of the way God delivers His people, we find that He is able to protect and lead. It was only when people rejected His leadership and control of their lives that they faced defeat.
Just think of the way God led His people out of Egypt. He provided a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God’s presence in the clouds both gave the direction to travel and also stood between His people and the enemy.
Trust Him to lead and protect you and you will never need to fear!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 10, 2012 | Mark
Mark 4:22-23
“For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Some of you receive the Daily-E-Votional with no conflict in formatting. However, there are others of you who experience a disturbing display. When I use quotation marks or a few other types of punctuation, they are converted to weird types of symbols such as; @&*#quot,- – – or whatever.
Some of you have written to ask why they are there. The answer is that I simply do not know. I send it out in the correct manner, but it is received in this crazy mixed up scramble. (I am still trying to resolve the problem, so those of you who are experiencing this issue, please bear with me). I will just keep on sending it out as best I can until the problem is resolved.
That reminds me that there are some people who hear the gospel message and to them it sounds like just so much gobbledy-gook. It is not until the Holy Spirit gives them the spiritual discernment to hear the truth that they are open to the message that brings eternal life.
The thought that comes to my mind is that as believers we may have our words misunderstood. The lost may hear just so much nonsense. Instead of becoming discouraged, we need to trust in the Lord to remove the confusion in their heart and allow them to accept the truth that will save.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 9, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 28:17-20
“When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
When I was in high school I played on the football team. In my senior year we were very successful. In fact we were undefeated. I can recall coming home after practice so tired and sore that I could hardly move. All of the hours of exercise and practice resulted in each victory we achieved. It was rather humorous that we could hear the shouts of victory from the sidelines, – – – We won! Our supporters had not endured the pain we experienced, but they shared the victory. We gladly welcomed their joyful shouts of victory.
Jesus won the victory over the hold that Satan had over fallen man on the cross. The moment His life’s blood flowed from His precious innocent body the price was paid for our redemption! It is nothing that we have done or ever could do that won the victory of the enemy, but Jesus gained the victory.
Following His crucifixion He rose from the tomb and appeared to hundreds of people. Some of His followers identified with His victory, but there were some who doubted. Amazing! He had foretold what He was going to do and He did it! They still question the reality of His resurrection. I don’t want to be a part of that doubting crowd. I want to be one of those who choose victory in Jesus!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
