by Pastor Cecil | Nov 30, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 6:27
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
True Christian character is certainly seen in our biblical heroes, but it may often be seen in those of more recent times. Hope is a character quality that looks beyond our immediate circumstances and shows what we as believers have waiting for us.
One of the most enduring songs written after the Civil War was by Sanford Bennett entitled, In the Sweet By and By. Bennett was the owner of a drugstore in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, who had just returned from the war. A friend, Joseph Webster, a gifted musician trained formally in composition, came to Bennett’s store each day to talk and play chess. Often Webster would come in depressed and down.
When asked what was wrong, Webster would often reply, “It’s no matter. It will be alright by and by.” That idea hit Bennett like a flash of sunlight! It was at that moment that he demonstrated hope to a friend who needed it at that moment.
As Bennett later described the incident, he took out a pen and it was all over in thirty minutes. A new hymn was born. In short order he was singing the words along with Webster and two other friends.
Bennett continued to manage his drugstore while Webster went on pursuing a composer’s career, writing over a thousand musical compositions and compiling the very popular Sunday school hymnal The Signet Ring. However he would not have the same success as with The Sweet By and By. That hymn was perfect for the post-Civil War era because it conveyed pathos with a mixture of comforting warmth. It came to typify the virtues of spiritual hope.
Sweet By and By
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore,
The melodious songs of the blest;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise,
For the glorious gift of His love,
And the blessings that hallow our days.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To access Sweet By and By, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/sweetbyandby/ 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 | Nov 29, 2012 | Romans
Romans 10:14
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
This week I received a call from my sister-in-law. In the conversation she asked if I had heard that Floyd had died. Floyd is my cousin’s husband and a special man in my life. He tirelessly visited my mother when she was in an assisted living center. It was hundreds of miles from where we live and his visits were a God send. I told her that I had no idea that he had died. It stunned me even further when she said that he had died over a month ago. I could not believe that I was not informed that he had gone to be with the Lord.
As I mentioned the fact of his passing to other members of the family, it seemed that almost everyone knew about it except me. The comment that I heard was: I figured someone had told you, so I never called.
All around us are people who are lost and on their way to an eternity of suffering beyond our wildest imagination. It is a sad commentary that we all too often convince ourselves that someone has already told them about Jesus and the salvation that is theirs as a free gift at Christ’s expense. How do we know?
If the opportunity arises, we may be the one and only opportunity that some person will hear the gospel message. Please do not take the easy way out and hope that someone has shared, or will share, the hope of salvation. What a tragedy to think that someone was lost saying: NO ONE TOLD ME!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 28, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 24:10-13
And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
In the past I have mentioned the difference in kids today from when I was in school. Many of us remember that when we were in school the teachers and the principals were the ultimate authority—when a spanking was merited, a spanking was received. The thought of suing a teacher, principal, or school was never considered. Most of the time kids didn’t even consider telling their folks about spankings at school—it would mean receiving an even harder one at home. (Being perfect that never applied to me. Cough! Cough!)
Today, true believers in the Word of God being the ultimate authority are more and more accused of being out of step with reality. It is not a character defect that we possess, but there has been a dramatic shift in society that puts the faith of the believer at odds with the world. It is all happening so quickly that it is phenomenal. In my own lifetime we have degraded into a miserable and immoral world.
Remember when issues that were presented in the media at least had a form of righteousness to them? But gradually questionable words and scenes were slipped into the television shows and movies. Profanity became the “new normal.” Questionable things became the norm. Morality became more and more prudish and out of date. Permissiveness has now become, not the exception, but the accepted standard.
An indication of how far from God’s standard of righteousness we have strayed is easily displayed. States are voting to determine if marriage should be classified legally as only a union between a man and a woman. But we do not have to vote on it—God has firmly established that homosexuality is abhorrent. We do not need to vote, we need to obey!
This trend is taking on more sinister overtones as of late. Christians who hold firmly to the Word of God as their source of righteousness are now being labeled the enemy of society. We believers who have received Jesus Christ as personal Savior, and who accept the Bible as God’s inerrant authority, are counted as being warped and a hindrance to progress. Morals which are established on the Word of God are pushed aside and replaced by personal desires. Righteousness is now defined by that which will bring the individual the greatest pleasure.
A revival of God’s righteousness and holiness is always needed, but now more than ever. There is an entire generation of people who are in danger of being lost without a mighty move of the Spirit of God in our midst. May we pray as we have never prayed before, and act in obedience to God’s unfailing Word.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 27, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 32:5
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
As a boy I remember being able to look from our house and see the mighty Columbia River that separates the states of Oregon and Washington. We lived on the Washington side of the river, and our house was high enough to be able to watch the water traffic moving up and down the river.
Most stretches of the river were deep enough for the tugs and barges to navigate, but further up the river from our house the Columbia became treacherous. There were hidden sand bars and bends in the river that could spell disaster for a captain who had not plied those waters before.
An invaluable aid had been put in place to aid in navigation. From time to time you could see colored beacons along the bank. The captain would steer his boat toward the beacon, but at the same time be looking across the river for another beacon. When the two beacon lights intersected he would change direction and head for the new beacon. These beacons were illuminated at night to insure safe navigation through treacherous waters.
In our lives, God’s Word has given beacons to insure that we can steer clear of any obstacles that would sink us. We may be able to sail along for days, weeks, months, or even years without calamity, but inevitably we are destined to hit the rocks if we neglect God’s beacons. Are you watching?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 26, 2012 | Revelation
Revelation 5:9b
You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
One of my favorite ministers of days gone by was Major Ian Thomas. He was a commissioned officer in the British Army during World War II and later gave himself totally to serve as a minister of the gospel. His unique manner of presenting the gospel has challenged countless hearers.
One of the quotes that I recall Ian Thomas making in reference to the atoning work of Jesus Christ was from a sermon preached entitled, A GRAIN OF WHEAT. The life He lived qualified Him for the death He died. The death He died qualifies us to receive the life He lives.
Our qualification for serving the Lord is not based upon how devoted, spiritual, or good we are. It is not by the many works of righteousness that we have done or ever will be able to do that will qualify our standing and relationship with the Lord. It is the work that was completed on the cross. He died that we might have life and have it to the full.
A vital question remains: What have we done and/or what are we doing with the life that we have received from the completed work of Jesus? Are we living in life and victory or do we drag along in the death and defeat of our own resources? We need to come alive in Christ and share the life with those around us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
