by Pastor Cecil | Sep 21, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 90:1-2
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past” is a hymn by Isaac Watts and paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five and nine.
The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. It has often been sung for special occasions in England. It was sung in 1941, at a religious service on board HMS Prince of Wales attended by Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also sung at the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965.
Later composers subsequently incorporated the tune in their own works. For example, George Handel used the tune in an anthem entitled, “O Praise the Lord.”
“Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past“
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
To access Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ogodourhelpinagespast 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 | Sep 20, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 23:1-4
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my Soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
The Weather Channel has just aired a series called Iceberg Hunters. When Joyce and I saw the previews, I mentioned that the men sounded like they were from northern Newfoundland. I said it would be something special if they were from St. Anthony, Newfoundland. In 1966-67 I spent a year in St. Anthony serving as Personnel Officer with the US Air Force. Sure enough, when the program came on tonight it was from St. Anthony.
My mind flooded with memories of that year away from my family. I did not want to go and my heart ached when I had to say farewell to Joyce and our three children. I wondered how anything good could come out of the assignment.
As I prayed for God to use me, I made a commitment to be the faithful servant He wanted me to be. Rather than being miserable I chose to open myself to the Lord’s leading. It was a year of blessing in disguise. The Lord taught me to depend on Him and draw closer than ever before. I had opportunities of ministry that I could never have imagined.
There will be situations in our lives that will arise and cause us to shudder. It may even be like the shadow of death in today’s Scripture. In the most stressful and trying conditions we can be used the most effectively. It is our choice. We can either be a blemish or a blessing. I choose to be a blessing!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 19, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 11:27-29
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
Do you remember a time when a major test was facing you? It may have been in school or on the job, or perhaps at the order of your doctor. I have just experienced my annual physical exam that concluded today with a bone scan. The test was not to see if I have any bones, but to determine if I have signs of bone loss that can occur with someone my age. I never can quite get my mind around the fact that some people seem to think that someone my age is considered someone my age. I feel like a young man in a 78-year-old body. How did that happen?
Just a note to say that all of my tests have been excellent so far, and the doctor is very pleased with the shape I am in. That is especially gratifying since I had my triple heart by-pass surgery just eighteen months ago.
We can have our physical examinations, but far more important is the necessity for our spiritual examination. Just as people sometimes ignore their health, we can also neglect our spiritual well being. If we ignore our spiritual condition, the consequences are far more serious.
Paul is urging us in today’s Scripture to examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Supper. This examination is to be deep and introspective. We need to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. When we have allowed sin to creep into our life it is time to confess and make peace with God once again. Only then can we truly pass the examination. Good health to you!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 18, 2012 | Romans
Romans 5:9-11
Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
I love to cook and I enjoy watching cooking shows on TV. Frequently I hear one of the chef’s exclaim: “Perfect!” I know that they are not necessarily expressing that their creation is perfect, but that they have accomplished what they desired and the rest is in the eating, so to speak.
Listen to those around you who use the term perfect and try to determine what it is that they consider perfect. It may be a painting that has great beauty or perhaps a musical score that has been performed in a magnificent fashion.
The truth of the matter is that we live in an imperfect world. The things we describe as being perfect may not be as perfect as we would like for them to be. We do not want others to know that we are dissatisfied with our efforts so we cover up by saying that something that is imperfect is perfect.
There was only one person who ever came into this world and lived a perfect life. He was and is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This perfect God became perfect man in order that He would satisfy the requirement to atone for our sins. He had never sinned yet He became sin in our behalf. What a price! What great love! All I can say is that Jesus is the sum expression of that which remains perfect in every detail!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 17, 2012 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
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.
Al was a Christian and had always tried to do what was right. He read his Bible and prayed frequently. As he grew spiritually he was able to see the hand of God at work in his life. Then something happened!
Al was restoring a classic automobile from the ground up. When it was finished he intended to sell it for a huge profit. He felt led to honor God with a portion of the profits. But then he thought of another plan. He would keep all of the profits, buy an even more expensive auto that would bring even more profit–then he would be able to give more to the Lord.
He rejected spiritual counsel to not do this. He did sell the car and kept all of the profits with which he bought another more expensive classic car to restore. 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 of you–or me? Not how smart we are, or what we intend to do in the future, but that we do what is right in the eyes of the Lord immediately. Now is the acceptable time!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
