by Pastor Cecil | Sep 7, 2012 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor is helping families restore broken relationships. I once was called upon to officiate at a funeral service. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Yah!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had ten or fifteen children, spouses and others on their side. He and his family were on one side and she and her family on the other side of the aisle. I had prayed for just the right words and to this day cannot recall what Scripture I used. I had just finished when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot ? nor I won?t. The hymn, Draw Me Nearer seems to express her desire toward her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/ 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
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is available on Kindle books. Just go to the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 6, 2012 | Philippians
Philippians 2:17-18
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
From time to time I have been in services or watched on television as a congregation was led in a chorus of There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit In This Place. One line in that song is, There are sweet expressions on each face. Beep! As my eyes scan over the crowd I see that only a few have sweet expressions on their face. For the most part they look like they have just been baptized in vinegar.
I have no idea where certain people have the idea that to be a Christian is to have a sour look on your face. It is almost like asking someone if they just hit their thumb with a hammer and them responding, “No, I’m a Christian.” Now that is sad! If anyone should have joy oozing out of each pore it should be a born again child of God who has been rescued from death to life.
Paul knew what it was like to endure pain and suffering for the sake of Christ. Rather than having a pity party, he used his situation to rejoice. When he and Silas had first arrived in Philippi, they ended up in prison. (Acts 16:15). Rather than being down and out, they sang and praised at the top of their lungs. I do not think that was the cause of the earthquake (my singing might cause that), but the Lord used His earthquake to free all of the prisoners. The jailer, his family, and I am sure many of the prisoners became the members of that church in Philippi.
Now Paul reminds them and us that we rejoice regardless of the circumstances of life. In fact, the worse things are around us, the more we should literally glow with joy and rejoicing that God is still on the throne! Praise the Lord! He is our source!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 5, 2012 | Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
Recently we witnessed the devastating force of hurricane Isaac that left thousands homeless and facing an uncertain future. It is possible that many will never be able to return to their homes. Do you feel as if you are being churned in the middle of a storm? What will it take to bring peace and tranquility to your heart?
Every time I am tempted to feel that I am enduring too much turmoil in my life, I stop and consider the apostle Paul. What did he endure for the sake of the Gospel? He was lashed, beaten with rods, stoned three times, ship wrecked, adrift on the open sea, and constantly on the move. Not an easy life was it?
These are only a few of the things Paul endured. He had a thorn in the flesh that God allowed him to experience in order to teach him total dependence. He endured all of these things with a joy that can only come from the Lord. Tranquility is not that the storms will always be calm, but that we will find peace in the middle of the storms.
We all need to find tranquility in the most violent of storms. It is not what we have done or must do—it is what Christ has already done for us. Rather than seeking more and more of the “things” of life, we must seek more and more of the Lord. The answer to tranquility is always the same—Jesus!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 4, 2012 | Hebrews
Hebrews 3:12-13
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Please notice the spelling of today’s Daily-E-Votional. It was an intentional use of the word weakly instead of weekly. The word weekly describes a period of seven days. The word weakly implies a lack of strength.
A sweet little lady once told her doctor that she was feeling pretty well other than the fact that her life was so daily. By that she wanted him to know that she felt like she was living a life that lacked meaning and purpose. Have you ever felt that way? Are you feeling that way right now?
I am always amazed to read the words of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. He was the wisest man in the world. Not only did God bless him with wisdom and understanding, but He prospered him with riches beyond measure. If the things of this world would bring happiness then Solomon should have been the happiest man on the planet. Instead he saw only emptiness. Why?
The answer is that he took his eyes off of the Lord and began to take pride in the things he accomplished and his material possessions. Let me share a little secret with you. The very moment that we take our eyes off of the Lord is the moment that we will begin to lose real meaning and purpose in life.
To turn your life around and find real meaning in your existence, keep walking with the Lord, daily, weekly—continually. Your life will never again be described as weakly.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 3, 2012 | Romans
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In November the voters in the State of Washington will be voting on a referendum to overturn the vote of the State Legislature to approve gay marriage. Recently there has been a television ad in which a minister and his wife support gay marriage because their son and his gay partner love each other and are so happy. Since they are so happy it is the conclusion of this couple that marriage should be approved by the state. Pardon me! I seem to be missing something here! I cannot for the life of me discover any Scripture that even hints at happiness being the determination in what is right in the sight of God and what is sin.
There are several of the extended members of our family who are living in alternate lifestyles. They are homosexual. That is a sin in God’s eyes and displeasing in His sight. There is no other way to get around the issue and no amount of legislation or denominational approval that will alter the fact. When God’s Word says something is sin, believe me, it is sin. Stop it!
This is not restricted with being in a homosexual relationship. A far more prevalent sin in our modern world is fornication. That is the sin of engaging in sexual relations outside of the bonds of marriage. So many people live together before marriage that couples who remain chaste before their wedding are considered to be abnormal. God hates sin and this is a sin. Stop it!
We need to examine our conduct in light of God’s Holy Word. If we see things that we are doing that conflict with the Word we must confess it and turn back to God.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
