by Pastor Cecil | Mar 29, 2013 | Isaiah
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
I recently received an e-mail from one of our subscribers, Ed Thornhill, who passed on some information that I found interesting and inspirational. It has to do with the town of Reed City, Michigan. I visited Reed City’s website to check what Ed had shared with me. They have a museum there called the Old Rugged Cross Museum.
Back in 1913 a Salvation Army officer, George Bennard, passed through a trying experience which caused him to reflect seriously about the significance of the cross and, in particular, what the apostle Paul meant when he spoke of entering into the fellowship of Christ’s suffering. While contemplating on these truths, Bennard was convinced that the cross was not just a religious symbol, but rather the very heart of the Gospel. He penned the words of this beloved hymn.
Bennard spent the last years of his life by the “side of the road,” a few miles north of Reed City, Michigan. At the age of 85, on October 9, 1968, he passed away. Near this home there still stands a twelve foot high cross with the words “The Old Rugged Cross—Home of George Bennard, composer of this beloved hymn.”
The Old Rugged Cross
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
In that old rugged cross,
stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
To access The Old Rugged Cross, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/theoldruggedcross/ 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 | Mar 28, 2013 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5:1-3
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.
I have always enjoyed hearing people talk about what they do. I recall listening to fighter pilots talk about the thrill of combat and how close they came to death. I have been enthralled by the stories of the deep sea fishermen in Newfoundland. I have heard police officers share interesting, sometimes dangerous, incidents.
The apostle Paul was a tent-maker by trade. He must have had calloused fingers and hands. They would almost certainly have carried the marks from years of stretching and stitching the fabric to create or repair tents.
In the Scripture for today, Paul uses his profession as a tent-maker to illustrate a spiritual truth: This human body of ours is not going to survive. There are those who try to reverse the aging process in various ways, but nothing is going to keep us from coming to the end of our life and entering eternity.
It is sad that most of us spend far too much time and effort on things that will pass away. By spending so much time on earthly things we neglect the things that really count — those things that have eternal value. Spending time with God in prayer and reading His Word will prepare us for that heavenly home that will never pass away. Which tent are you spending your time and effort to build?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 27, 2013 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:9
With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Some of you may feel that you know me pretty well as I have always tried to be as transparent as possible. But there are some in ministry who tend to build a wall of insulation between themselves and the people they serve. It may be that they feel in doing so they will not show their fallibility. I have so many fallibilities that if I tried to appear as super saint I would trip and fall flat on my face.
Having said all of that, there is another facet about my persona that I want to share with you. I DO NOT NEED A LOT OF SLEEP! If I get six or seven hours of sleep a night I feel refreshed.
The early morning hours from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. are the most precious time for me. There are few interruptions and it is a wonderful time to spend with the Lord. I can read passages of Scripture and feel free to meditate on them. It is also a quiet time to open my heart to the Lord in prayer, seeking His guidance and direction for my ministry and my personal life.
If you have not discovered the precious jewel of the early morning hours, I encourage you to give it a try. It may be that special key that will open the door for the Lord to reveal Himself to you in a special and meaningful manner.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 26, 2013 | 1 Timothy
1 Timothy 4:12
Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
It seems as if it were a lifetime ago that I was a Boy Scout. As a matter of fact it was about 65 years ago, so that is pretty much a lifetime ago. I count the lessons I learned in scouting as a huge benefit in my personal development. I can still recall standing at attention with the other members of my troop and reciting the Scout Oath: On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
I just had to go on line to bring into focus what the Scout Law was. It is that a Scout is to be: TRUSTWORTHY, LOYAL, HELPFUL, FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS, KIND, OBEDIENT, CHEERFUL, THRIFTY, BRAVE, CLEAN, and REVERENT.
What a list. What a wonderful world it would be if people practiced these attributes. It has never been that way since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, nor will we find that type of conduct until we reach heaven.
I know that our world lacks these outstanding qualities, but what a tragedy that we do not find them in our church either. Time and again I hear reports of people who have been emotionally and spiritually injured by the action of church people. This should not be! I devote myself to bind up the wounds of such victims.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 25, 2013 | Matthew
Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Friday I was driving down a street near our home that I travel every time I leave the house. Suddenly a car pulled out from the driveway of a retirement home. I slammed on the brakes to avoid striking the car broadside. When I stopped I saw that the driver was looking the other way. A car had stopped in the oncoming lane and was waiting for her to get situated in order to use the driveway.
The inattentive driver finally backed out of traffic into the driveway. It was then that I saw that she was trying to parallel park, and it was just a little too much for her to handle.
Since that incident I have had a chance to think of the times when I did something equally dangerous and foolish. Ha! I bet you thought I was a perfect driver! Those times I have placed myself and others in jeopardy were the times my mind was not on the task at hand. My task was to drive safely and defensively, but because of my inattention, I became a liability to other drivers.
God has called us to be His servants and representatives here on earth. We may start off with a bang and have great success, but then our mind becomes entangled with the cares of the world and we become less and less effective servants. Now is the time to rouse from our lethargy and be committed to obey Christ and His Word.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
