by Pastor Cecil | Jul 24, 2012 | Philippians
Philippians 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
As most of you readers know, Joyce and I just celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary on July 10th. Over those years we have a growth in our love for each other, but even more important is that our love for Jesus has also grown.
Paul’s prayer for his beloved church in Philippi is very insightful. He prays that their love may abound in knowledge and depth of insight. The Greek word for abound is the word, perisseuô. It means to overflow or to exceed that which was expected. What a fantastic prayer. As great as that prayer is it does not end there.
There is a purpose in abounding love. It is that it will result in knowledge and depth of insight. If Paul’s prayer were to end there it would be meaningful. I think we are well aware of believers who have great biblical knowledge and insight, but they lack purpose and direction. Paul prays that the believer’s love may lead to discover what is best and to be pure until Jesus comes.
The prayer I pray for myself as well as for each of you who read this is that we may love the way the Lord loved. This means a sacrificial love that is willing to love others in the way the Lord desires for us to love them.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 23, 2012 | Philippians
Philippians 1:3-6
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Have you ever taken the time to examine your prayers in light of the prayers in the Bible? I hope you are not as guilty as I am in praying for things that will make my life better, easier, more convenient and the same for others I have been asked to pray for. All through this wonderful small book of Philippians we are exposed to the prayers that Paul prays for his beloved church in Philippi.
The first thing that stands out is that he prays for the church each and every time he remembers them. Not only that, he seems to go through a mental list in order to pray for them individually as well as the church body as a whole. He may have recalled that night in the jail when an earthquake freed all of the prisoners. The jailer was ready to commit suicide, but Paul stopped him and that night led the jailer and his entire family to the Lord. I am sure they were part of the church he was praying for.
Then comes the power. Paul says he prays with joy. Many of our prayers are more like a lead weight instead of a helium filled balloon. He prays with joy because this beloved church has partnered with him in the spreading of the Gospel. Not only that, he has joy because the work they are doing for the Lord will bear lasting results until Jesus comes to take His children home. Praise the Lord!
How is your prayer life?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 20, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
In recent years piracy on the high seas has increased dramatically. Huge oil tankers or cargo carriers have been boarded and the ship and crew have been held hostage until the price for their release has been met. THEY HAVE TO BE REDEEMED IN ORDER TO BE SET FREE!
The fact that Fanny J. Crosby wrote thousands of poems, many of which became favorite hymns is amazing. The fact that she was totally blind is even more remarkable. Our hymn this week is Redeemed.
Redeemed
(1) Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
REFRAIN: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(2) Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence,
With me doth continually dwell.
REFRAIN:
(3) I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
REFRAIN:
(4) I know I shall see in His beauty,
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
REFRAIN:
(5) I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.
REFRAIN:
Notice verse four. It strikes me that Fanny Crosby was eagerly looking forward to that day when her Redeemer would appear and her blinded eyes would be opened and she would behold the most beautiful sight she could ever imagine—Jesus!
To access Redeemed, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/redeemed/ 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 | Jul 19, 2012 | John
John 21:17
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
We have a cute little Chihuahua dog living next door. Her name is Felicity, but her nickname is Fleecy. Kitty, her owner, started calling her Fleecy shortly after purchasing her. You see, Fleecy has a problem with a back leg and Kitty was misled about the condition. Kitty felt that she had been fleeced, thus the name.
Fleecy was very nervous and suspicious for many months. One day when I was making my rounds in the Dollar Tree, I happened to notice a box of doggie treats. For one dollar I couldn’t go wrong. As a matter of fact I went right! Fleecy loved each small bone shaped treat. Other dogs in the neighborhood did as well. Even those who had snooty appetites loved to receive a treat.
Fleecy is different. Our houses are located in such a way that our kitchen window faces Kitty’s front door. When her front door is open, Fleecy keeps a sharp eye and ear out for any activity on our side. If I open the garage door, she moans and whimpers for Kitty to let her out. I cannot believe how fast that little girl can run, bad leg and all. I have her sit before giving her the treat and away she goes. I feel greatly loved by that little character and delight in making her happy.
The Lord also delights in giving gifts to His children. We can run to Him with the limps from our wounded life and He is standing there eager to give us the spiritual food that will satisfy our soul. Not only that, the Lord calls us to feed His flock. I love to feed Fleecy, but I am ecstatic about feeding the people of God.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 18, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
When he was just a small boy, our oldest grandson followed my dad like a little shadow. He thought my dad could do about anything. As a matter of fact I had that same opinion about him.
One day Zane had broken something. When our daughter began to reprimand her son, he did not seem to be upset. He just looked his mom in the eye and said, “It’s Okay mommy, Papa can fitz it!”
Sometimes we break things in our life and go around and around in a circle trying to get it fixed. Or as Zane would have said, “Get it fitz.” Stop right now and do a short evaluation of your life. What are the broken things that you would like to have fixed? Relationships? Finances? Health? Reputation?—Any number of things may be broken in your life and in desperate need of repair. Who do we turn to?
The answer is Christ. A small boy following closely at his grandpa’s side may think he is helping by getting his hands on the broken object. In fact it obstructs the work of the one who is able to fix it. In the same way we can get our hands in the way as God works out the restoration of our broken condition. It is only as we trust fully in Him that He can perform the miracle. Papa can Fitz it!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
