by Pastor Cecil | Jun 28, 2013 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
I once read about a forest service worker who was walking through an area that had just been ravaged by a forest fire. He saw a strange mound and stopped to check it out. To his astonishment it was a mother bird that had been killed by the fire. As he knelt to examine the bird, he heard a peep from under the pile of ashes. When he turned the bird over he found several chicks.
Instead of flying to save herself, the mother had sacrificed herself in order to protect her brood from the fire that was sweeping toward them. That is what Jesus has done for us. He wants to shelter us under His wings from the firestorm of life.
In 1896, William Cushing wrote the words and Ira Sankey composed the music to the hymn, Under His Wings. Enjoy this featured hymn from GloryScapes.
Under His Wings
Under His wings, I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild.
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are over;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I?m safe evermore.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
To access Under His Wings, this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/underhiswings/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
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PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
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by Pastor Cecil | Jun 27, 2013 | Luke
Luke 10:19-20
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Think back about the times when you felt that a miracle had taken place in your life. In fact, just remember the times when you rejoiced because God had protected you as you made a long journey with no accidents or incidents.
Certainly we are to rejoice in all things, but as I read this passage in Luke 10, I am wondering if we focus too much attention on specific answers to prayer. If we see God at work in a particular situation, we jump and shout for joy. But if we do not experience that same sort of answer, we may tend to be dismayed.
Jesus is telling His followers the real reason for believers to rejoice is that we have our names written in heaven. There are many things we may not see that are fantastic miracles, but the greatest of all is that we have entered into eternal life the moment we are born again.
You and I may witness to someone and feel them reject our testimony. It no doubt causes us to feel discouraged. Days, weeks, months, even years later and thousands of miles away, that person can feel the tug of the Holy Spirit and remember what we shared with them. Only eternity will reveal the fruit of our faithful ministry. Hang in there, faithful believer. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning! Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 26, 2013 | Job
Job 19:25-27
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Many times it seems that people (me included) have a preoccupation with holding on to this life. It does not matter how much pain or how many trials we encounter, we act as if this vale of tears is the only thing that matters to us.
In the midst of his suffering and misery, Job was surrounded by men who had come to comfort him. A fat lot of comfort they afforded him. They erroneously concluded that if he was suffering the calamities that had befallen him, it must be the result of some secret sin in his life. His(friends) made it their goal to try and break through and have him confess his terrible secret sin.
Here in the middle of the book that bears his name, Job gives us words of confident assurance. It would be well for us to read these words in Job 19 on a regular basis and apply them to our own life.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in the first chapter of Philippians, it would be far better for him to be in heaven with Christ than to remain here on earth. It gave him the desire to live what time he had here on earth serving others by showing forth the spirit of the Lord. I desire to have that same purpose in my own life. If I remain alive, it is to serve Christ. If I die, it is to be with Christ. Either way, Christ is the focus of my life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 25, 2013 | Daily-E-Votionals
Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Being alone is a sad and dismal position. We really do need each other and a friend is one of the greatest possessions we can have. It is a sad and poor man who has no friends. Friends are different than companions. Companions may be close by, but are not sufficiently close that we can share our deepest feelings.
Thinking back across the years of my life, I have had a wealth of friends. Some of those friends have gone on to be with the Lord, but some are still alive. Many years ago I received a plaque from a special friend that has special meaning to me. A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you’ve been, accepts who you’ve become, and still gently invites you to grow. Thanks, Chris!
You may have a dear friend like Chris, but we have a friend who is still closer. Of course I am speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who is with us at all times. We are never really alone, even when others have departed, for He stays with us during the dark hours of the night. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is there beside us.
You may feel frustrated with life, feel hurt or depressed because of the way things are going. You may even question whether it even helps to pray. That fatalistic view of life is short sighted. It is like slamming the door in the face of our closest friend who has come to help us. Yet Jesus patiently stands at the door and quietly knocks. Please open the door and allow Him to heal all of the hurts you feel right now.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 24, 2013 | Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 30:19
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
Over sixty years ago I picked up a small newspaper and read the words of a poem. I have forgotten the words of that poem, but the meaning and implication has remained with me over the years. Here is my attempt at reconstruction:
When all the world is bright and gay,
When skies are blue, instead of gray,
When health and wealth are close at hand,
It does not take a lot of sand to sing and shout to beat the band.
BUT- – –
When all you around you turns to gray,
When family and friends seem to slip away,
This is now the time to take your stand!
In faith reach out to God and take His hand!
My prayer is that you may choose the life giving power and Spirit of Jesus to flow through you at all times, whether on the mountain tops or in the valleys of life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
