by Pastor Cecil | Jun 8, 2012 | Hebrews
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
From time to time there are health scares that cause people to fear for their lives. They rush to receive inoculations or use face masks. There are precautions taken in washing our hands and covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze. As a boy I can still remember when families were quarantined because someone in the house was diagnosed with a contagious disease.
In the early 1900’s there was an outbreak of diphtheria in the US that claimed many lives. Cleland McAfee was chaplain and choir director at Park College in Parkville, Missouri in 1903. As the epidemic swept the area, two of his nieces died from diphtheria. In his hour of grief he wrote today’s hymn and had the college choir sing it outside the quarantined house.
Near to the Heart of God
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
To access Near to the Heart of God, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/neartotheheartofgod 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 | Jun 7, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 15:13
A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
A few moments ago there was a news report from London that Queen Elizabeth had just spoken to her husband, Prince Phillip, who has been hospitalized with a bladder infection. The Queen reported that her husband was cheerful . . . but grumbling.
It seems I have encountered people like that—unfortunately many of these grumblers were born again believers. Out of curiosity, I just looked up the Hebrew meaning for the word CHEERFUL; it is the word yatab and means: to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad.
I have a hard time equating cheerful and grumbling in the same context. To me we are either grumblers or grinners (I hope that is a word). Anyway, I think you get the idea. People that are prone to grumble only make themselves more miserable, and it is challenging to be around them without feeling like a weight has been placed across your shoulders.
Those who are consistently cheerful make the world a happier place, and their joy contributes to the healing of their bodies. Their cheerfulness is also a blessing to those who come in contact with them. I pray that we all will accept the challenge to stop the grumbling and allow the joy of the Lord to shine brightly in our heart and out to others!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 6, 2012 | Philippians
Philippians 4:21-22
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.
As I think back across the years of my life, I realize that there were many situations that I found myself in that were not what I wanted. I could say that it was just an act of coincidence that I was at a particular place at a particular time, but as a dedicated Christian I have come to discount coincidences. To me, the situations of my life have been and still are divine assignments. I have been and will continue to recognize that God places me where He wants me to be His agent.
I know of many individuals that find themselves confined in jails or penitentiaries. As we have talked, I have often discovered that their ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ is far richer behind bars than it was when they were on the outside. They have become the agents of God to the incarcerated. Read today’s Scripture and realize that Paul was in prison, but some of the guards had become believers. Paul was the agent of God in a Roman prison.
There are others who have been confined to hospitals with a physical condition that has left them incapacitated. Wait a minute! Incapacitated does not mean that they do not have an opportunity to minister. Some of the most fruitful ministry is done in hospital rooms. Those who are available can become the agents of God to the incapacitated.
We may find ourselves located in rescue missions, senior centers, retirement homes, or any number of places. It really does not matter where God has chosen to place us—He desires that we become His agent right where we are.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 5, 2012 | Luke
Luke 12:15
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.
Over twenty years ago I was asked to visit our county jail and speak with a young man who had been convicted of a fairly serious crime. As I sat down at a table in the visiting room, Ben approached with a wide smile and placed his Bible on the table. It was a very touching meeting as Ben shared from his heart.
Ben told me that a year ago he felt he had it all—a new pickup, a boat and a motorcycle. Ben also had a wife and two kids and his future looked bright. Then he made some foolish decisions, because even with all of his possessions, Ben wanted even more. He committed a crime to get them. As a result he lost his wife and family, house and vehicles.
The smile on his face did not match the story Ben was relating to me. Ben shared how he had given his heart to the Lord Jesus while he was locked up in the county jail. I still can recall as Ben placed his hand on his Bible and said that the only things he could now count as his own were his Bible and a sweater back in his cell. Ben related that with Jesus in his heart he was the richest man in the world.
Ben deeply regretted his sin and offenses and what he had done to his family, but he was rejoicing in the fact that he had passed from death to eternal life and now possessed treasures which are of far more value than anything the world has to offer. It reminds me that when we come to the place that Jesus is all we have, we will find that He is all that we will ever need.
Many passages in Scripture bring us to the vital truth—Jesus is all we will ever need. Like that young man in the county jail, with Jesus in our heart we are richer than the wealthiest man in the world. It is time we start living with that truth.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 4, 2012 | Romans
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It seems that we are more in need of a spiritual renewing of our minds than ever before. The media constantly bombards us with images that are far from what is God honoring and soul edifying.
In the past week I have heard at least five or six people mention how wicked and perverse things in the world are becoming. I am generally an optimistic person, but it is harder and harder and harder to find things in our modern society to be positive about.
Having expressed myself, I do not mean that we should throw up our hands in despair. The Lord has always given us His reason for hope. That reason is our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to bring life to a sin sick world and He still is the answer in our day and age. If Jesus is the answer to renewing our mind, we need to focus our attention to the process of getting the job done.
If someone wants to really know another person, it is not enough to have a desire to know them, they have to spend time getting as close as possible to the person. It is the same way with the Jesus. We renew our mind by reading His Word and spending time speaking with Him in prayer.
My prayer is that we may renew our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I pray that the world may become illuminated by the presence of the Lord in our life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
