by Pastor Cecil | Apr 30, 2013 | Daniel
Daniel 3:17-18
Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.
I need to constantly remind myself of the courage and faith of three Hebrew slaves named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. These three stood bravely before a furnace that had intentionally been super-heated to incinerate anyone who failed to bow and worship King Nebuchadnezzar. What would you or I do? Most of us are allergic to pain and discomfort so we might well have bowed just a little.
It is so easy to compromise our walk with the Lord by making bargains with Him. There has been far too much emphasis placed upon healing and if a prayer for healing is not answered, the one who has prayed feels as if God is not in control.
As I read the statement of these three young slaves, I believe they had the kind of faith the Lord wants each of us to possess. Yes, they knew that the Lord could save them from the horrendous heat of this furnace, but even if He did not do so, they would still obey only Him and not this earthly king.
The Lord saved them that day, but there have been millions of times across the ages of time when the Lord chose to take the faithful servant home to be with Him. It is not our choice, but His choice. Not my will, but may His will be done!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 29, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Saturday the word ROCK came up at least twice. Once at a memorial service I was officiating, and another time listening to Vestal Goodman singing the old hymn, Rock of Ages.
There is something about a solid rock that gives us a sense of security. Jesus used the solid rock in a parable about the two men who built houses. One built on sand and the other on the solid rock. The storms beat on each of the two houses. The one on the sandy soil fell, while the one on solid rock stood firm.
What Jesus was illustrating was that the shifting sands of this world are just not fit to build our life upon. The fickle pleasures of sin may appeal and tempt us to construct in a manner that will appeal to the flesh. But we can be sure that the storms of adversity are bound to come. What will happen then? I can assure you after years of working to restructure the ruined lives of people who built on the sand . . . you do not want to build there!
As we read this passage of Scripture we discover that not only is the Lord our solid ROCK, He is our fortress and deliverer. Anytime you feel insecure and the storms of life howl around you, call upon Him. He will be your mighty Fortress!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 26, 2013 | 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
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 25, 2013 | Isaiah
Isaiah 1:15-16
When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.
In the past several months I have had several people approach me with the problem of dealing with the issue of acceptance. Family or friends of these individuals made a point of criticizing the church for not accepting their life style.
In the counsel that I gave them I used the power of the Word of God as the authority. It is certainly not up to a church body to negate the specific commandments of the Word. We have become so namby-pamby concerning holding the line that many church bodies have assumed the right to approve what the Bible calls sin.
Acceptance, as I see it, is more incumbent upon the sincere believer to follow what the Bible says, than to listen to what others say. We can seek more truth and ask questions that may seem to be challenging, but when the aim is to discover what God desires for us then we are on solid ground.
There is an old song the children used to sing. It was good back then and I feel that it is still appropriate for us today. Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. There is power and acceptance in those words and that is the acceptance we should strive for.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 24, 2013 | Luke
Luke 15:20
And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
I am not an impatient person . . . it is just that I want things to be done without having to wait! You may feel much like that yourself. There are times in our life when we strongly desire for changes to be made immediately, but they just seem to take longer than expected.
As we read the parable of the Lost Son, or more commonly called the Prodigal Son, we are struck by the image of a father waiting and longing for a wayward son to come home. I visualize the father sitting on the front porch of his home, gazing down the long lane leading to the house. His heart is aching to see the familiar form of that son who has been gone for so long.
There is another picture that we do not commonly see in the parable. It is the one of the older brother who remained at home. He might have remained at home, but his wayward heart was in that far country with his younger brother. We see this later in the story as the brother has imagined his younger brother wasting his money with harlots. There is no way he could have known this, but he vicariously experienced it and his heart was not where it should have been.
The father had two sons who were gone, as it were. One son was lost in a far country and the other son was lost in his imagination. Only one son returned to the father . . . the younger son. The older boy refused to return to the house, even when his father begged him. Who is waiting for you today, or for whom are you waiting?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
