by Pastor Cecil | May 17, 2013 | 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
by Pastor Cecil | May 16, 2013 | 1 Samuel
1 Samuel 15:22
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
At various times I have been referred to as Mister, Reverend, Pastor, Minister, Preacher, and while in the Air Force, by the rank I held at the time. My mother never gave me any of these titles. She just stuck me with the name, Cecil Adrain Thompson. I sure wish she had not done that!
Getting back to the titles, I am bemused by the number of people that send off for some supposed degree that will confer a title such as those mentioned above. I must confess that I spent some years earning mine, but I fail to hold tightly to them. I would just rather be known as, Cecil.
In this passage, from 1 Samuel 15:22, Saul has failed to obey the specific instructions of the Lord. He is arguing with Samuel about how he wants to sacrifice the best of the animals captured from the Amalakites to the Lord. That was not what the Lord had commanded. He had ordered the complete eradication of the enemy. He wanted Saul to obey rather than bargain.
How many times have we found ourselves trying to bargain with God instead of obeying what we find in the Word of God. The Holy Spirit directs us in a particular direction, but we go our own willful way and then want God to bless us. Nope! It just will not work that way. He demands obedience. He just wants us to obey. Trust and obey, there is no other way!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 15, 2013 | John
John 12:24-25
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
I am not much of a farmer or even a gardener. Even with my limited knowledge about this area I have been aware of one thing: God has established a principle that has remained consistent across the ages of time. In order to have a harvest, there must be a seed time.
Grains of wheat have been found in Egyptian tombs. Being dark and dry it remained just individual seeds for centuries. When these grains were test planted to see what would happen . . . they died! That is, they stopped being dry and dormant seeds. But in death the seeds produced shoots that broke the ground, and after a time a head appeared. These once individual grains reproduced. A seed had to go into the ground and die before it could produce a crop.
My grandparents were wheat farmers on the Oklahoma Panhandle. It was always a delight to travel from our home in the Pacific Northwest to visit and experience the excitement of harvest time. They grew winter wheat which was planted in the fall and harvested in the heat of summer.
I think it is safe to say that seeds are always planted in a different season than when they are harvested. Spiritually we are called to die to ourselves in order to allow a harvest in the future. Are you dying to self that others may find life? Are you planting what others will reap or are you reaping what others have planted? We are all intended to be fruitful servants of the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 14, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1-2
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!Bless the Lord, O my soul,and forget not all His benefits.
Back in the day—way back in the day—when Joyce and I were high school seniors, Joyce was crowned Homecoming Queen. I can still picture her sitting in the gymnasium on a makeshift throne along with her court. The crown on her head signified that she had been voted Queen.
The position carried no monetary rewards, and on the following Monday, the other students did not bow to her. She was just the same Joyce Harper as she had been before the celebration.
Later in Psalm 103, there is a beautiful reminder that two of the things we are to praise God for are love and compassion. We are in short supply of love and compassion in our present-day world. It seems more and more that we live in a dog-eat-dog world. Even Christians appear to be caught up in the struggle to get ahead regardless of the needs of others.
My sweet Homecoming Queen might have surrendered her crown after that night so long ago, but she has received a far greater crown from the Lord. She has the qualities of love and mercy as a gift from God. Joyce has a gift of sensing hurting people and then responding to them in a quiet manner to bring compassionate love.
Praise God that He is the One who crowns us with love and mercy!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 13, 2013 | Proverbs
Proverbs 15:1-2
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
In our modern world there is a somewhat recent phenomenon known as trash talking. It is most commonly found in the field of sports. Wow! What is sporting about calling the opponent names and boasting about your own greatness?
I wonder if this idea of insulting another person or group while exaggerating the accomplishments of self is part of the reason for so much violence. It seems to follow that if a person cannot back up his boasts with action, he often resorts to criminal action.
I have noticed that Christians are all too often caught in this activity of trash talking. Rather than going to the Lord in prayer and confessing their own sins, they attack other people who hold a different point of view. I do not mean to compromise the solid truths of the Word of God, but much of the time it has nothing to do with biblical interpretation.
To give a soft answer is not a weak anemic attitude. It can be a positive force if we take the time to ask the Lord how we should respond to questionable practices. This entails looking into the Word of God on a consistent basis to find the solid foundation that God desires. How would Jesus respond?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
