by Pastor Cecil | Aug 17, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 145:9-12
The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All You have made will praise You, O LORD; Your saints will extol You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
The older I get (and I am getting up there), the more disturbed I am about senseless killing. This is true of attacks on other people, but also on killing animals just for the sport of it. In my hunting days I did shoot game, but it was for food not for sport. Now there are many that hunt for bragging rights, not for food. God meant for us to be keepers and protectors, not killers.
In 1225, when he was feeling ill and losing his sight, Francis of Assisi wrote about what was always on his heart: the praise of God. In All Creatures of Our God and King, Francis’ love for God and the world He made comes out very strongly.
Probably because he lived such a simple life, he (noticed) things that we, in our busy-ness, overlook. Francis believed that all earth’s creatures get their life from God and that we all depend on Him for our continual existence.
All Creatures of Our God and King
1. All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O, praise Him, Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
2. Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heav’n along,
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
3. Let all things their creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
4. And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
To access All Creatures of Our God and King, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/allcreaturesofourgodandking 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
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 16, 2012 | Philippians
Philippians 2:1-2
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Back in the 1970’s I pastored a church in Burns, Oregon. Our church secretary’s husband, Tom, was a very sweet man, but he never attended church. He owned a small plane and even had his own airstrip, and he was always trying to get my wife, Joyce, and me to take a plane ride. Joyce promised Tom that if he attended church we would fly with him. One Sunday she was standing in the vestibule when Tom walked in with a smile and asked when she wanted to go for a flight.
That was a “therefore” in Joyce’s life. If there had not been a condition placed upon Tom’s church attendance when he asked her if she wanted to go for a flight, it would have had little meaning. But with the challenge issued, it had meaning. By the way, it was a delightful flight that we totally enjoyed.
When we read today’s Scripture we encounter that word which should always lead us to search for what led the writer to use the word therefore. In the previous chapter, Paul had given these inspiring words: For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Paul challenged the Philippian church with the reality that suffering for Christ is a blessing. Simply to believe in the Lord was not enough. It required total surrender and a willingness to put their lives on the line. THEREFORE, what does that mean for us? I am sure that it means that we are to quit pampering ourselves and put it all on the line! Are we willing to give our all? I pray we are!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 15, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 5:1-3
Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly.
Last Sunday as I was standing before our congregation, I mentioned the necessity of being in communion with the Lord at all times. I started reciting the prayer I was taught as a boy: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep; and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
My intention was to get us off the idea of only praying at bedtime, so spontaneously I said we should also pray in the morning: “Now I wake to face the day, I pray, dear Lord, You guide my way.” I went on to encourage us to not just pray morning and night, but to go through the day in conversational prayer with the Lord.
Today our daughter called and commented on that morning prayer. She asked me to give her the complete prayer. Oops! I did not have a complete prayer since it was made up on the fly. Since then I have thought of another line, so here is what it may sound like: “Now I wake to face the day, I pray, dear Lord, You guide my way; And as I walk with You this day and do Your will, I know that You are always with me still.”
The same idea remains as I shared on Sunday. We need to be in touch with the Lord during our activities of the day. The blessed Holy Spirit is always with us and, as we face the challenges of the day, it is great to breathe a silent plea or praise for His presence. It encourages us and delights the Lord as we invite Him into our daily activities.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 14, 2012 | Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’
Over the years I have been given (officially or unofficially) many titles: son, husband, dad, papa, uncle, officer, teacher, lieutenant, captain, pastor—on and on it goes. There is one title that few know about. As a matter of fact, only my wife Joyce has ever used it—“Ole Dog Shep.” My wife is the one who gave me that title one time when I was faithfully waiting for her to get off work. Since that day we have laughed every time I do something that indicates that I am on time and reliable.
It is amazing how many times I have encountered people who promise the stars but are not reliable enough to be depended upon. As a matter of fact, it seems that there are more unreliable people than the number of those that you can count on to do what they promise.
Jesus told a parable that relates to this subject. Matthew 21:28-31: “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?’ The first,’ they answered.”
Jesus agreed that their answer was correct. In essence it indicates that actions are more important than what a person says. To say something that will make people think well of us is empty if we fail in our actions.
Over the years I have been called upon to officiate at hundreds of weddings, funerals or other meaningful events. Early on I learned that people are on pins and needles until I arrive. As a result, I have made a point to arrive at least 30 minutes early.
All around us there are people who depend on us and our integrity. Part of integrity is to be reliable. That means being where you are supposed to be, and being there on time or early.
How can you establish a new pattern of dependability? First is to use a date book or calendar. Write down each and every commitment you make. Check each evening the schedule you are committed to the next day.
Second, on the day of the appointment, start a mental time clock of the hours you have before the appointment. Get as much detail out of the way as early as possible and always be aware of the time remaining. Make allowance for traffic delays that may arise.
When you say to someone “I will go,” make sure you are committed to stand by your commitment, and make sure you are on time or even a little early!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 13, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
A number of years ago we lived next door to a neighbor who was, what you might call, an old crank. Her husband was a little namby-pamby, but she was just miserable. We tried to do things that would show a spirit of Christ, but she remained hostile.
One day we were returning home and saw her out in front of her house working feverishly on her landscaping. I stopped the car and made a pleasant comment about how nice it looked. It was like I turned on the power to a chainsaw. She lashed out at me that the reason she was doing it was that I had complained about it to the manager.
I was taken back and assured her that I had not said anything to anybody about her yard. She snarled back that I was a liar and a trouble maker. As long as we lived there she remained entrenched in her bitterness toward us. There are times when we will not be able to avoid the adverse reaction of some people. We can be totally innocent yet there will be some who will misunderstand our actions.
I thought about this incident as I was fighting through a problem with the way some of our readers receive weird symbols instead of the proper punctuation marks. I always send the Daily-E-Votionals out correctly, but some of you do not receive them that way.
It is like I am misunderstood. My intent is to have good clean copy, but then I get the feedback that a quotation mark is replaced with something like: +#@&. By the way, if you are one of those readers, please let me know and I may be able to correct it. The best any of us can do is to keep our hearts right with the Lord and our attitudes sweet, regardless of the reaction of people. Please God and love those who are unlovable.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
